LAHORE: The Supreme Court summoned on Friday Provincial Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid and members of Board of Commissioners-Punjab Healthcare Commission (PHC) to explain resignation by retired Justice Amir Raza A Khan from the post of the commission’s chairperson.

Hearing a suo motu case regarding exorbitant prices of health facilities at private hospitals, Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar took strong notice of alleged humiliation meted out to Mr Khan in the first meeting of the commission’s board. He observed that the political government would not be allowed to capture the independence of regulatory authorities.

When asked to explain the episode, PHC chief operating officer Dr Ajmal Khan expressed his inability to disclose the information for being an employee of the commission.

At this, the chief justice directed the health minister and all the members of the board of commissioners to appear before him on Saturday.

The chief justice observed that almost all the private hospitals had voluntarily reduced their prices of the healthcare facilities and there was no complaint to this effect. He, however, expressed his disappointment that National and Doctors hospitals did not do much for the welfare of poor patients.

The chief justice directed the PHC to take action on its own if it received any complaint against private hospitals. Dr Khan sought time from the court to submit a detailed report on the issue by Dec 15, which was duly granted.

Dr Shehla of the Akram Medical Complex said that Wasa had taken responsibility to cover the drain in front of the hospital. A representative of Surgimed Hospital told the court that a plan to cover the drain on Zafar Ali Road will be submitted in 10 days.

Chief Justice Nisar directed LDA Director General Amina Imran Khan to impose penalties on the hospitals for compoundable violations of building laws committed by them in their construction.

MISSING: The chief justice directed the police to trace whereabouts of two people missing for a few days.

Asif Mahmood, of Township, filed an application to the chief justice stating that his brother and son had left the house few days ago but never returned.

DIG Abdul Rab said that two suspects had been taken into custody and footage of CCTV cameras installed in the city was being grabbed to trace the missing duo.

The court directed the police officer to speed up the investigation and try to trace whereabouts of the missing men.

Published in Dawn, November 17th, 2018