PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur has directed health department to draft a combined law for Paraplegic Centre and Pakistan Institute of Prosthetic and Orthotic Sciences (PIPOS).

Presently, these rehabilitation institutes operate under separate laws.

Sources in health department told Dawn that chief minister directed relevant authorities to go through laws of the two health facilities -- PIPOS and Paraplegic Centre -- and prepare one draft law so those rehabilitation institutes were managed effectively.

They said that those institutes were sub-specialties of orthopaedic but their performance was not up to the mark due to which the government wanted to take good points from both the laws and make it one combined law.

Govt wants to improve performance of both health facilities

“Health department has started work on the instructions of chief minister to fulfil the task within one month,” they said. The draft legislation will then be sent to law department for vetting and after the removal of observations, if any, it will be approved by the cabinet and provincial assembly.

Each of the institutes has more than 80 employees while PIPOS has also established about half a dozen facilities in other districts which means that if a better law is put in place, it can benefit more people.

The department has already collected relevant data from both the institutes and has informed the chief minister that they have vast potential in the area of rehabilitation provided they are properly governed.

“The laws implemented in 1999 and 2009, for PIPOS and Paraplegic Centre have become outdated and are flawed. New refined law will be drafted within a month that will run both the institutes,” said sources. They said that the proposed law was meant to pave the way for establishment of one board for both the institutions as they had almost same functions.

“The existing laws have conflict of interests as these allow people on administrative positions to be members of the board, which takes policy decisions,” sources said.

Currently, the duration of their separate boards have expired and it is also under consideration to form new boards for both the health facilities till the passage and implementation of the new law.

Established in 1984 for provision of rehabilitation services to physically-challenged patients, PIPOS was declared an autonomous institution by provincial government in October 1999. It has pioneered prosthetic and orthotic sciences and is imparting training in rehabilitation services to physically-challenged persons and supporting them to become independent and active members of the society.

Paraplegic Centre, governed by an Act of parliament known as Paraplegic Centre, Taking over and Re-establishment, Act 2009, is an autonomous body working under the health department to provide to people free of cost and comprehensive physical rehabilitation services including skilled physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech language pathology, orthotic management, psychological counselling, recreational activities and social support.

These institutes will remain under the control of health department but reforms will be introduced to improve their operations.

Representatives of Insaf Doctors Forum told Dawn that they had recently met with chief minister regarding healthcare issues in the

province wherein they had pointed the situation in PIPOS and Paraplegic Centre.

The department has been given time to draft a law to cover these semi-government institutes to form board of professional people and operate them effectively.

Published in Dawn, February 28th, 2025