ISLAMABAD: Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel on Monday vowed to review the Medical Teaching Institutions (MTI) and Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) laws and said both of them were ‘black laws’.

While commenting on the performance of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government at the floor of the National Assembly, he said that not a single cardiac hospital was established during last four years.

Replying to a question by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) legislator Shahida Rehmani, who asked that if Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) was being privatised, the minister said that he did not want to speak on that issue, as people might take it as a criticism on PTI government, but as she had asked he would reply.

“The MTI was made to privatise Pims and it was decided that the doctors will do private practice in the hospital during evening hours. We want to review the MTI law. Moreover we want to review PMC law as currently only one department has been dealing with all the exams across Pakistan. Because of the policy of PMC, 55pc seats of medical and dental colleges of Sindh remained vacant,” he said.

Mr Patel also said there was a question in the question hour that if a cardiac hospital project was contracted during last four years and ministry had given the reply that no such hospital was constructed at federal level.

“However provinces have established hospitals for the cardiac patients,” he said. PML-N legislator Shakila Luqman had asked that if there was any example of action taken against health practitioners for showing negligence.

The minister said that there were a number of such examples but unfortunately such cases were not highlighted by the media.

Published in Dawn, May 17th, 2022