PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government’s plans to appoint new boards of governors to medical teaching institutions in the province have become bogged down over fears of litigation, claim officials.

They told Dawn that detained PTI founder Imran Khan had ordered the replacement of BoGs, but the chief minister wanted to do so through the adoption of an assembly’s resolution to prevent possible court cases by the current members.

The officials insisted that many of the current board members appointed by the last caretaker government had lost interest in their respective work since the installation of Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur’s elected government in the province.

They added that the government wanted to have the chief secretary of its choice before appointing new members to BoGs.

CM focal person says govt to place matter before assembly

A senior board member told Dawn on condition of anonymity that he and his colleagues knew that their removal was just around the corner.

He said by and large, the current boards didn’t have the powers they used to before the installation of the new government.

Sources in the health department claimed that BoGs were twice told in the last two months to refrain from making major decisions, but MTIs in Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan ignored those orders and made several promotions and appointments.

They said Prof Nausherwan Barki, the architect of the Medical Teaching Institutions Reforms Act (MTIRA) which governed 10 teaching hospitals and their affiliated medical and dental colleges in the province, was unhappy with the delay in the removal of the current board members appointed by the caretakers through a cabinet decision.

The sources claimed that the removal of the current BoGs would enable Prof Barki to influence MTI affairs yet again as the chairman of the MTI Policy Board, a post he held during the last PTI government in the province.

They added that the PTI leadership won’t be able to influence Prof Barki regarding MTIs as he was very close to Mr Imran and strictly followed the law, and therefore, the delay in the installation of new BoGs “favoured” it.

The sources said that the chief minister and health minister had the legal authority to replace boards or their members at any time.

They said that the MTI-covered hospitals had slipped out of the control of the bureaucracy as the decisions were taken by BoGs.

“Both PTI and the bureaucracy are on the same page over the delay in the formation of new boards. They want status quo on the matter,” an official told Dawn.

He also claimed that under the law, there was no need for an assembly session on the issue.

“Everything is clear in the MTIRA, which says that the CM can remove any [BoG member] without assigning any reason and appoint the BoG chairman directly,” he said.

The official said the BoG members could move the MTI tribunal only if they’re removed over some allegations, but under the law, that couldn’t happen if the removal was ordered by the chief minister.

When contacted, Dr Amjad Ali Khan, the focal person of the chief minister on health, denied any delay in the replacement of BoGs on part of the government.

“The matter will be placed before the assembly as there might be some legal problems,” he told Dawn.

Dr Amjad, a PTI MNA from Swat district, said the government was committed to ensuring better patient care in MTIs as well as in district and other hospitals by threading the legal path.

“We have already taken several initiatives to provide modern healthcare to people across the province,” he said.

Published in Dawn, May 5th, 2024