PESHAWAR: The health department is holding a thorough probe into appointments and promotions made in the public sector medical teaching institutions during the past three years, according to documents.

On Thursday, the health department constituted a committee to hold inquiries into appointments and promotions in all hospitals and medical colleges covered by the Medical Teaching Institutions Reforms Act, 2015 during the last three years.

The department has already submitted a report regarding the performance of the MTIs to the human right cell of Peshawar registry of Supreme Court of Pakistan. A notification said that the report was submitted to the Supreme Court in consultation with the respective MTIs.

Complaints had been lodged with apex court about anomalies in recruitments, promotions in MTIs

A rejoinder about this has also been sent to the office of the chief secretary with preliminary findings where enough evidence have come to the fore that warrant the formation of a committee to look into it, compartmentalise the wrongs, which can be set right, and make clear recommendations to the government.

A committee comprising special secretary of health department, additional secretaries of finance and establishment departments and chief executive officer of the postgraduate medical institute, Peshawar, has been formed with the mandate to look into each and every appointment and promotion since the implementation of the MTIRA, 2015.

“The high-powered committee has been instructed to see if the rules of Pakistan Medical and Dental Council, Service and General Rules were taken into account regarding such recruitments and promotions to next grades,” the notification said. It said that the committee’s members would also check the credentials of the candidates, who were appointed or promoted. The committee has been authorised to co-opt any member.

The notification said that each of the MTI-covered institutions was bound to provide record to the committee within 48 hours to facilitate prompt progress on the matters. The health department has also directed the committee not to wait for compilation of the final reports of all MTIs but submit the same per MTI.

The health department has also intimated the human right cell of Supreme Court about the inquiry into the promotion and appointments in MTIs. It has pointed out that government has formed an independent inquiry committee to probe the allegations of illegal appointments and financial irregularities in the MTIs on the court’s directives.

It has requested the court to grant it 60 days to file a separate report regarding this inquiry in addition to copying the notification to the office of chief secretary, respective MTIs and members of the Young Doctors Association. Sources said that nine MTIs in the province had come under strict scrutiny after complaints lodged with the Supreme Court by doctors, alleging violation of merit in promotions and appointments.

The health department has been preoccupied with several inquiries into cases of appointments and promotions of the employees. The MTIs are being run by the Board of Governors as opposed to non-MTIs that still operate under the health department. The Supreme Court has been asking the health department to probe anomalies in MTIs.

Published in Dawn, June 8th, 2018