LAHORE: The Jinnah Hospital is struggling to overcome the tension in its air for two weeks reportedly due to the undue interference of the Punjab health secretary following re-allocation of a highly-equipped orthopaedic unit to a senior doctor allegedly in violation of the policy.

Disputes surfaced after some ‘controversial’ decisions were taken after the retirement of professor of orthopaedics, Dr Tehseen Riaz, on Sept 11, who was heading Orthopaedic Unit-I of the hospital. The unit was said to be the first such facility in any public sector hospital of the province that also offered sports-related surgery, as well as knee and hip joint replacements for free.

The institute’s Orthopaedic Unit-II was headed by Prof Dr Sajjad Ahmad Goraya and lacked proper equipment and facilities.

Around two weeks after the retirement of Prof Riaz, the management had issued a notification on Sept 23 to declare the 50-bed unit-I as unit-II, and vice versa. However, as per the arrangement, the respective premises of both facilities, including faculty members, staff, equipment and other assets, would remain intact.

According to the notification, a copy of which is available with Dawn, Dr Goraya was announced head of the newly declared unit-I (previously unit-II) and associate professor Dr Javed Hassan Raza Khan head of the ‘renamed’ unit-II. The notification was issued by the Allama Iqbal Medical College (AIMC) principal following approval of the institute’s Board of Management.

An official said all was well until a few months later, the management, going against its own arrangement, displaced the entire faculty of unit-II (previously unit-I) along with the patients under treatment there. Not only were the premises switched, but a new notification was issued on Dec 23, making Prof Goraya head of both the units, a move that further mounted the agitation.

The official said the institute took these decisions after Punjab Health Secretary Dr Ahmed Javed Qazi visited the hospital twice and directed the AIMC principal to facilitate Prof Dr Goraya, who was his class-fellow at King Edward Medical University (KEMU).

Not only this, the hospital also shifted the postgraduate students inducted for training at the previous Orthopaedic Unit-I to unit-II. It unlocked the classrooms, and issued an order to hand over the large stock of artificial joints -- allocated to what was now unit-II -- to the staff of the other ward.

This interference of the health secretary sparked off protests among the staff of unit-II. They called out the hospital management over the “violation” of laid down policy and refused to work at the newly assigned unit. They also reached the health secretariat two days ago and lodged a protest.

The official said the health secretary called an emergency meeting of the senior medics and formed a committee to resolve the dispute. The protesters however said they were ready to be terminated or dismissed, but not work under the current circumstances.

Talking to Dawn, Health Secretary Dr Javed Ahmad Qazi said on Tuesday he had visited the hospital twice at the request of Prof Goraya, who wanted to head the unit previously held by Prof Riaz.

“It was a fundamental right of the senior doctor to work in a better environment and there was no harm in letting him do so,” he claimed, adding he did so to resolve the matter to ensure uninterrupted healthcare to the patients of both orthopaedic units.

“The medics from Prof Riaz’s unit visited my office to express their grievance and I suggested they focus on healthcare instead of being involved in politics,” Dr Qazi stated.

In an attempt to resolve the matter, he had visited the hospital again on Tuesday and directed the AIMC principal to rotate the medics of both units to allow them all equal opportunity of working in a better environment.

AIMC Principal Prof Dr Nadeem Hafeez Butt claimed the institute had combined both units under the command of Prof Goraya until the appointment of a new head of the previously unit I, and owing to a shortage of orthopaedic medics in the province.

Published in Dawn, December 28th, 2022