PESHAWAR: Adviser to the caretaker chief minister on health Dr Abid Jameel resigned on Friday citing personal and family issues as well as lack of time for his cancer patients.

“I submit my resignation as caretaker adviser on health with effect from April 28. Kindly accept my resignation,” Mr Jameel said in his resignation letter sent to the caretaker chief minister.

Mr Jameel stated that he had a very good learning experience working at the health department as well as with the caretaker chief minister.

Mr Jameel was appointed adviser to the caretaker chief minister for health on February 18.

However, a senior health department official requesting anonymity told Dawn that Dr Jameel though a thorough professional and straightforward person was facing issues in running the department. He said the health department faced many issues, which needed to be dealt tactfully. “There are issues of posting of district health officers, medical superintendents, director general health and members of board of directors,” he said, adding Dr Jameel had grown fed up with these never-ending issues.

Besides, he said transfers, postings and other issues had to be tactfully dealt by a minister and that straightforwardness often didn’t work.

Dr Jameel was not available for comments.

Under the Dr Jameel’s watch, director general health’s transfer was stopped twice after being notified over political meddling. Similarly, caretaker government’s decision to dissolve the Medical Teaching Institutions’ Policy Board and board of governors was also suspended by the Peshawar High Court.

Dr Jameel is the second member of KP caretaker cabinet to have resigned as another minister, Khusdil Khan Malik, was de-notified due to his being in government service at the time of his appointment in the caretaker cabinet. Hidayatullah Turi, another special assistant to chief minister, had last month resigned without mentioning any reason. A few days later, Hidayatullah Afridi, a brother of a senior PPP leader, was appointed special assistant to caretaker chief minister.

Published in Dawn, April 29th, 2023