KARACHI: Describing the federal government’s decision to take over three major public-sector hospitals of the city as an “attempt to undermine the provincial autonomy ensured under the 18th constitutional amendment”, a number of civil society representatives at a press conference held on Thursday warned that this “decision might destroy these institutions currently efficiently run by the provincial government”.

They also called upon the federal government not to act in haste and wait for the outcome of a petition seeking review of the Jan 15 Supreme Court verdict declaring that these institutions fell within the scope of the Entry 16 of the federal legislative list and, therefore, within the exclusive federal domain.

The press conference at the press club was organised by the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (Piler).

Civil society urges federal government to wait for the outcome of a petition seeking review of the Jan 15 SC verdict

“We all have serious concerns over the matter and believe that any step on part of the federal government to take over the control of Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), National Institute of Child Health (NICH) and National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) would be unconstitutional,” said Karamat Ali representing Piler, adding that so far not a single hearing of the review petition had been held.

Dr Tipu Sultan representing the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) was of the opinion that presently the JPMC, NICH and NICVD were providing quality patient services and a change at the top administrative level might affect their performance.

“These hospitals have shown significant improvement under the provincial government, which has made huge investment in these hospitals.

“It’s unfortunate that health matters are being treated in the most insensitive manner, which would only add to the miseries of poor patients suffer in this row,” he noted.

Call for more hospitals

The federal government, he said, should opt for opening another hospital in the city instead of taking over these tertiary care health facilities.

“For a population of 25 million, Karachi has only 3,500 hospital beds whereas the private sector is taking care of 60 per cent of patients. There is a dire need to build more tertiary care hospitals and each district should have one,” Dr Sultan said.

In a joint statement shared with journalists, civil society activists stated that the JPMC, the NICVD and the NICH were charging various fees for healthcare services when these institutions were under the federal government.

“But now no fee is charged. For example, currently NICVD is offering costly cardio services, for instance angioplasty and insertion of stents, free of cost to all patients. Even the patients are not charged for hospital services, food and medicines.

“There is no such quality facility anywhere in the country, as being offered by these government hospitals free of cost. Even the NICVD has extended its services to other parts of Sindh where independent satellite NICVD centres have been established in Sukkur, Sehwan, Mithi, Nawabshah, Khairpur, Hyderabad, Tando Muhammad Khan and Larkana,” the statement reads.

Similarly, it says, the NICVD has established chest pain units at prominent roundabouts and under bridges in Karachi to provide accessible emergency services to the masses. These 24/7 chest pain units equipped with all necessary equipment, doctors and paramedical staff, are located under Gulshan Chowrangi flyover, Gulbai flyover, Qayyumabad Chowrangi flyover, Malir Halt flyover, Nagan Chowrangi flyover, Railway Road, opposite Miskeen Gali near I. I. Chandrigar Road, Sindh Government Lyari General and Teaching Hospital, Landhi and Karimabad flyover.

The civil society activists including Mehnaz Rehman of Aurat Foundation, Faisal Edhi, Nasir Mansoor of National Trade Union Federation, Habib Junaidi of Sindh Labour Solidarity Committee and Saeed Baloch of Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum, apprehended that these services would be affected severely if the federal government took over these hospitals.

They appealed to the apex court to take cognizance of the matter and start proper hearing of the review petition of the Sindh government as soon as possible.

It was pointed out that justice Maqbool Baqar (who was part of the five-member bench in the Jan 15 SC verdict) had written a dissent note in which he had clearly indicated that the subjects of public health and public hospitals fell within the legislative competence and executive authority of the provinces only.

“The judge stated that the Article 274 of the present Constitution provides that all properties and assets, which on the commencement of the Constitution, vested in the federal government, shall, in case they, on the commencing day, were to be used for the “purposes” of a provincial government, shall become properties of the said provincial government,” the statement says.

During the question-answer session, journalists raised a number of concerns on the poor performance of Sindh government in the health sector.

While civil society representatives agreed to these reservations, they were of the opinion that the Sindh government’s dismal performance didn’t provide the federal government with the justification to take any unconstitutional step. It should rather help strengthen devolution, which was the essence of democracy.

Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2019