KARACHI: The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) on Friday demanded that the chief justice take suo motu notice of foreign visits by the ruling elite for medical treatment of illnesses which can be treated within the country.

The demand was made at a meeting of the office-bearers of PMA Centre, PMA Karachi and those based in other parts of the country who joined in through a video link.

“It is regretting that our national politicians, either in power or have ruled the country in yesteryears, civil and military both, go abroad for medical treatment.

“It is noted with concern that the prime minister recently left for London for a medical check-up. A few weeks back, our former president left abroad for treatment and before that similar practice was adopted by another former president seeking treatment for his unknown ailment,” says a press release.

The meeting, which was held at PMA House, unanimously decided to protest against this trend that they said violated the basic rights of the people who had no other option but to rely on unregulated, ill-equipped local health facilities.

“A letter will be written to the honorable chief justice of Pakistan to take a suo motu notice of this practice that needs to be banned. Until these big shots get themselves treated in local health facilities, they will never know the agony of the poor of this country and take measures to improve healthcare settings,” noted the participants in the meeting.

Politicians and the ruling elite chose to get themselves treated outside the country, mostly on tax-payers’ money, they said.

“It is evident that when they were in power they could not develop the healthcare system which explains their lack of trust in it, while the 190 million poor citizens of this country are left at the mercy of the circumstances, corrupt mafias, quacks, faith healers, illiterate hakims and [unqualified] homeopaths,” they said.

The meeting strongly condemned the practice of going abroad for treatment of diseases which can easily be treated in Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, April 16th, 2016