PESHAWAR: The operations of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Care Commission have come to a complete halt as government has failed to hire staff before expiry of the contracts of its top administrative officers.

“Three-year contracts of high-ranking officers of HCC have ended with no replacement,” said official sources.

A letter by HCC chief executive officer Azaar Rashid said that expiry of contracts of three administrative officers would left the body without any executive authority to carry out its operations.

Expiry of contracts of officials leaves the commission without any executive authority

He requested the HCC chairman to advise on how to run the body, which would not be able to operate after end of service contracts of director operations and additional director monitoring and evaluation.

Mr Rashid said that both the officers completed their tenure last week. According to the letter, the chief executive officer pointed out that he was nearing end of his term on November 20 after which the commission would be left with no administrative officer to carry out the assigned duties.

It said that carrying out operations of HCC including registration, renewal and sealing and de-sealing of facilities wouldn’t be possible. Complaints management, anti-quackery drives and court matters besides processing of salaries, payments, rents, POL, file processing etc will also not be carried out. The commission will virtually become redundant, leading towards tremendous crises.

Mr Rashid said that they weren’t able to fulfil their responsibilities including action against illegal medical practitioners and diagnostic centres in the face of acute shortage of staff.

Three positions of directors and 11 posts of managers had been lying vacant since the commission became operational five years ago.

“There will be complete halt. There will be no operations. Process of salaries, payments, registration and renewal of the health facilities apart from basic work to seal, de-seal and initiate compliant-based action are destined to come to a full stop,” he said.

The letter sent to HCC chairman Dr Mohammad Rehman on October 21 hasn’t been responded yet. Dr Rehman, quit as HCC chairman on October 20, citing health department unwarranted intervention in the commission’s affairs and hampering recruitments of essential staff had brought it to standstill.

Sources said that health department lost control over HCC after it was establishment under KP Health Care Commission Act, 2015. The new law paved the way for establishment of HCC, an autonomous body run by Board of Commissioners, to regulate facilities providing treatment and diagnostic services to people in public and private sectors.

HCC board member Gohar Javed also resigned a fortnight ago.

HCC, one of the pet projects of previous PTI government to bring reforms, has failed to deliver the desired results mainly owing to lack of coordination with health department, sources said.

They said that owing to political interference, non-cooperative and autocratic behaviour of health department, there were only five officers hired in October 2016 including CEO, two directors and two additional directors of the total 29 advertised positions.

Sources said HCC advertised key positions thrice but didn’t hire anyone that adversely affected its performance. Last advertisement for 56 positions in April 2019 was put on hold by the health minister, they said.

“The matter has also been brought into the notice of chief secretary,” said sources.

Published in Dawn, November 2nd, 2019