PESHAWAR: The leaders of ruling party in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, have been interfering in the affairs of Mardan Medical Complex and trying to run the health facility according to their wishes, sources say.

However, they said, the architects of Medical Teaching Institutions Reforms Act were trying to continue the reform process and improve patients’ care in the hospitals of the province.

Mardan Medical Complex is governed under Medical Teaching Institutions Reforms Act (MTIRA), 2015, a law passed by the PTI government to free hospitals and their affiliated medical and dental colleges from political and bureaucratic interference and improve patient care.

Each of the 10 MTIs is run by its respective Board of Governors (BoG) appointed by chief minister on the recommendations of search and nomination council.

MTI-Policy Board chairman says he is looking into the issue

However, many of the MTIs still face interference by MPAs and ministers of the ruling PTI. The latest example of the this interference is Mardan Medical Complex (MMC) as its BoG chairman is being threatened with registration of FIR by anti-corruption establishment on account of appointments of medical and hospital directors.

Sources said that medical and hospital directors of MMC were removed on the pretext that they were recruited at a time when health department had imposed ban on appointments. Their appointment took place on August 24, 2024, when the ban had been lifted, they added.

They said that MMC dean was appointed in April 2017 during caretaker government and Peshawar High Court declared those BoGs illegal. However, they said, the dean was still working.

“Both have been removed on January 2 after a couple of months of their appointments because four of the seven BoG members are not cooperating with the farmers of MTIRA and want to toe line of PTI leaders,” sources said.

In late 2023, the caretaker government replaced the PTI-era BoG members with its own people. The PTI government removed BoGs of MTIs on June 11, 2024, but they moved Peshawar High Court, which restored them on August 15, 2024.

The court also directed that the reinstated members would not make any appointments till further hearing of the case. However, no petition was filed by members of MMC BoG. The high court also declared the caretaker-appointed BoGs illegal and authorised the chief minister to decide about the fate of four members of the board appointed by caretaker government in MMC. The chief minister allowed them to work till August 25, 2025 and complete their three-year term.

The medical director (MD) and hospital director (HD) of MMC appointed through a proper selection process on August 24 were removed by BoG. “But now local politicians are using anti-corruption establishment against the BoG members appointed by the PTI government and its chairman is facing threats of FIR for making the appointments of HD and MD,” sources said.

They said that local leaders of PTI tried to stop BoG from conducting interviews for the posts of MD and HD and even after their removal continued to haunt them.

The BoG members, who are working on voluntary basis, claimed that last month an audit report was made public that was nothing but a bunch of lies and disinformation with the sole purpose to malign them.

Sources said that the BoG chairman, who held top positions in health department including vice-chancellor of Khyber Medical University and chief executive of Lady Reading Hospital, was ready to resign but he continued to work half-heartedly on the assurance of Insaf Doctors Forum.

The adviser to chief minister on health didn’t respond to telephone calls and messages sent by this reporter to seek his version.

MTI-Policy Board Chairman Prof Nausherwan Burki, when contacted, said that he was working to improve the situation and continue the reform process.

“I have taken steps to help chairman of MMC BoG. I am dealing with the issue,” he said.

Published in Dawn, January 15th, 2025