ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has given the Punjab government two weeks to decide about taking over the Pakistan Kidney-Liver Transplanta­tion Institute (PKLI) and issued direction to include the top military doctor in the PKLI’s administration committee.

A three-member SC bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar during the hearing of a case related to the institute expressed displeasure over the Punjab government’s performance, saying that it was taking least interest in the health sector.

It said all the healthcare related projects were standstill in Punjab and the provincial government had failed to constitute a healthcare board.

The apex court directed the Punjab government to decide on the summary about the legislation that would empower it to take the PKLI under its administrative control.

Supreme Court says provincial government is taking least interest in health sector

CJP Nisar asked the provincial government to seek consent from the army to include the surgeon general of Pakistan, the top doctor in the army’s echelons, in the PKLI administration committee.

During the hearing the advocate general for Punjab told the court that the provincial government was going to decide on the legislation about changing the administrative control of the Institute since it was being governed through a trust. He told the court that the summary regarding the said legislation had been forwarded to the provincial cabinet.

The CJP remarked that the PKLI had so far spent Rs22 billion out of its budget of Rs34bn.

When the CJP asked PKLI’s Dr Saeed Akhtar about his monthly salary, he replied it was Rs2.2 million per month. Dr Akhtar said he had been working with the Institute since 2015.

“You have been getting Rs2.2m from the PKLI for the last three years?” asked CJP Nisar. “I never received salary from the PKLI,” replied Dr Akhtar.

To another question, Dr Akhtar informed the bench that the Institute had done 21 cases of kidney transplant.

CJP Nisar remarked that this institute was established for liver transplantation as the facility of kidney transplant was available with several other hospitals. He said that with Rs22bn the Punjab government could establish five hospitals.

Talking about the case of a boy who was brought to PKLI for liver transplantation, the CJP expressed his surprise that despite having such a huge spending the institute could not conduct the boy’s operation even though an organ donor was available and its administration was seeking another seven months to commence the procedure.

The CJP said this matter might be referred to the National Account­ability Bureau or the Anti-Corruption Estab­lish­ment, Punjab. The institute did not have prerequisites like operating theatres, human resource and equipment for the liver transplant, he remarked.

The case has been adjourned for a fortnight.

Published in Dawn, December 15th, 2018