PESHAWAR: The Supreme Court of Pakistan has directed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa health department to ensure compliance with its directives regarding out-of-merit appointments, promotions and financial irregularities in the public sector medical teaching institutions (MTIs).

Health Secretary Dr Syed Farooq Jamil has confirmed that they have received a letter some three days ago from the apex court to comply with its directives.

“Yes, to the extent that irregularities, if committed in the appointments, should be corrected after scrutiny,” the health secretary told Dawn.

Secretary says hospitals told to take action after receiving letter from SC

He said that health department had asked MTIs to take action in those cases wherein inquiries were completed. “We will forward more cases after completion of other inquiries,” said Dr Farooq.

The KP government has implemented Medical Teaching Institutions Reforms Act, 2015 under which the hospitals are run on the advice of the Boards of Governors that have been given unbridled powers of appointments, promotions and dealing financial matters.

The health department, which controlled about 1,500 health facilities, lost control over a few MTI-covered institutions. Several employees of MTIs filed petitions in the court, seeking probe into the alleged irregularities committed in the appointments on responsible posts at the hospitals in March.

In May, the court asked the health department to probe the allegations. The inquiries conducted by high-level committees found financial irregularities besides violation of merit in recruitment and promotion of staff at the hospitals and medical colleges.

After submission of the report, the court dismissed the BoGs and replaced them with interim bodies. The apex court directed the authorities concerned to form new bodies after the general elections.

The apex court had also directed the new BoGs to correct the wrongdoings in their respective MTIs and submit a compliance report in that regard.

However, the new BoGs formed in July have yet to give weight to the court’s directives and the wrongly-appointed and promoted officials still work at the MTIs as usual with no questions asked.

The Supreme Court has directed the health department to ensure that the MTIs undo the unlawful steps, they have taken.

Most of the cases of violation of merit are related to Khyber Teaching Hospital, Hayatabad Medical Complex and Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar and Ayub Teaching Hospital Abbottabad where the new BoGs haven’t taken any action regarding court’s directives despite holding meetings.

The enforcement of MTIRA 2015 was a much-touted measure taken by the PTI-led government in the province to improve the rotten health system and improve patients’ care. There has been partly success about improvement in clinical services but the situation regarding appointments and promotions has come under scathing criticism.

Sources said that the all-powerful BoGs had been calling the shots at the MTIs without taking into consideration the government’s rules in appointments, promotions and other matters.

The MTIs received one-line budget from the government and spent the same, as per decisions of the BoGs.

More than a dozen inquiries, conducted on the instructions of apex court, have revealed misappropriation of power, financial embezzlement, violation of merit in appointments and promotion after enforcement of the law.

The committee including special secretary of health department, additional secretaries of finance and establishment departments and other high-ranked officials of the health department had found that in most of the cases rules of Pakistan Medical and Dental Council, Service and General Rules hadn’t been considered in making recruitments and promotion to higher grades and other matters.

They said that BoGs of MTIs had made such appointments and promotions mostly through internal committees, specially constituted at the respective institution.

Sources said that the new BoGs that were expected to consider the outcome of several inquiries were yet to take measures to comply with the directives. As a result, the court has directed the health department to ensure compliance of its directives issued in the light of findings of the probes.

Sources said that some members of boards, though well-meaning and reputed in the field of medicines, didn’t give time as they ran the affairs of MTIs through remote-control from abroad that deteriorated the situation.

Most of the irregularities committed in the MTI had been result of lack of proper attention by BoGs that allowed the committees concerned in their institutions to make appointments and promotions, they said.

Published in Dawn, November 26th, 2018