• Only three govt and 86 private health facilities registered with provincial regulator in seven years
• SHCC wants healthcare establishments to register voluntarily but this strategy isn’t working, says convenor of licensing committee

KARACHI: The Sindh Health Care Commission (SHCC) is struggling to establish itself as a regulatory body, as most public and private health facilities across the province choose not to register with the commission to evade its oversight, it emerged on Saturday.

The situation can be gauged from the fact that senior SHCC officials have expressed serious concerns over the “non-cooperation” shown by health facilities, especially state-run hospitals, towards the mandatory licensing process.

Sources told Dawn that at a recent meeting of the Board of Commissioners (BoC), the officials pointed out that only three public sector hospitals in the province have acquired the commission’s compulsorylicence and accreditation since the regulatory body became operational seven years back.

The SHCC 2018-2024 registration and licensing data, a copy of which is available with Dawn,showed that three public sector hospitals in the province have so far acquired commission’s regular license.

A total of 1,639 facilities have submitted registration forms while 43 facilities are undergoing the inspection process.

In the private sector, the data showed, 86 hospitals and clinics in the province have acquired the SHCC’s regular licence.

A total of 11,802 have submitted registration forms while 827 are undergoing the inspection process.

The source said at the BoC meeting SHCC chairman Dr Khalid Hussain Shaikh expressed concern over the situation and the commission’s readiness to take lawful action against the healthcare providers still operating without registration or licensing.

“Registration with SHCC is not optional. It is a legal obligation to ensure that healthcare services are delivered within a regulated framework,” a source quoted him as telling the meeting.

The sources said the forum passed a resolution, reaffirming its commitment to regulate healthcare services in the province and declaring decisive action against unregistered healthcare establishments or those non cooperative.

The board decided that the commission would invoke the relevant section of the Sindh Health Care Commission Act 2013 and issue notices to non-compliant providers, if they fail to comply, impose penalties, and also initiate sealing as a last resort.

Lack of official willingness

The SHCC was notified as an autonomous body on March 20, 2014, after the Sindh Assembly had passed the SHCC Act on Feb 24, 2014. However, it was officially launched after a delay of four years in 2018.

The law applies to all healthcare establishments, public or private hospitals, non-profit organisations, charitable hospitals, trust hospitals, semi-government and autonomous healthcare organisations.

The commission’s responsibilities include taking up complaints against doctors and healthcare administrations and banning all forms of quackery.

Unfortunately, the sources said, the commission has been experiencing hiccups in its operation since its establishment mainly due to lack of government interest.

Today, sources said, the commission was struggling to establish its image of a regulatory body as it’s generally looked at as another government “tool to mint money.”

“Besides, the government officials heading health facilities don’t give due importance to the commission. Multiple reminders andwarnings have been sent to them but to no avail,” said Dr Mirza Ali Azhar, convener of the SHCC’s registration and licensing committee.

He told Dawn that the registration/licensing process was now available online to facilitate the healthcare units.

The commission, he stated, had so far adopted a “lenient” attitude. “We want the healthcare establishments to do it voluntarily. But this strategy isn’t working.”

Under the law, he said, the commission has powers even to seal units. “You can imagine what will happen if we start sealing public sector hospitals. Only the patients will suffer and those who are responsible for the delay in the SHCC registration process will continue to get their salaries.”

People practicing Tib and homeopathy as well as midwives running independent health units in their field, he said, were also required to register with the commission.

“Once an application is received, a designated team carries out the inspection to see whether the concerned facility is meeting the set criteria. This was followed by more visits depending how fast the facility responds to our concerns and takes steps to meet the set standards. All this is done in a friendly atmosphere,” he explained.

Meanwhile, during the BoC meeting, Dr Abdul Ghafoor Shoro, convener of the anti-quackery committee, presented 224 cases on which the board approved around Rs15 million penalties against quacks.

It also approved Rs1m penalties in complaints against eight different hospitals and practitioners. The cases were presented by Dr Sameer Qureshi, convener of the complaint committee.

The attendees included Dr G.R Shah, Dr Shoaib Gangat, Dr Sajjad Siddiq and SHCC Chief Executive Officer Dr Ahson Siddiqi.

Published in Dawn, July 27th, 2025