PESHAWAR: The decision of Medical Teaching Institutions (MTI) Tribunal against appointment of regular medical and hospital directors has left Mardan Medical Complex with no option but to run both the offices on acting-charge basis since January 2025.

Mardan Medical Complex (MMC) is governed under Medical Teaching Institutions Reforms Act (MTIRA), 2015. MMC had permanent directors of finance, nursing and human resource and dean, who resigned on September 15. The post was advertised after five days. However, MMC is bound by the court’s decision not to advertise the posts of hospital director (HD) and medical director (MD) for filling the positions on regular basis, according to sources.

Each of the 10 MTIs is governed by their respective Board of Governors (BoG) appointed by chief minister on the recommendations of search and nomination council. BoGs makes all appointments on higher positions in MTIs.

In August 2024, the BoG of MMC recruited MD and HD through a proper selection process but both were removed on January 2, 2025 on the pretext that they were recruited at a time when health department had imposed ban on appointments despite the fact MMC and MTI Swabi stood exempted from the ban, sources said.

Tribunal has stopped recruitment of regular medical and hospital directors

They said that both MD and HD moved MTI Tribunal against their removal and the tribunal restrained MMC from appointing regular people on those positions till final decision through an order issued on January 1, 2025. Since then these posts have been filled through officiating people.

On September 9, the BoG of MMC replaced Prof Mohammad Fazil and Prof Rehmanuddin, the acting HD and MD, with Prof Sajjad Ali Shah and Dr Naeemul Haq, respectively. Both were appointed on acting charge basis three months back but their replacement was legally due as acting positions couldn’t be held beyond three months.

Towards the end of 2023, the caretaker government removed the members of BoG of MMC and replaced them with new people. However, the PTI government removed BoGs of all MTIs on June 11, 2024, but Peshawar High Court (PHC) restored them on August 15, 2024.

PHC authorised the chief minister to decide about the fate of four members of the MMC’s board appointed by caretaker government who hadn’t completed their three year tenure. The chief minister allowed them to work till August 25, 2025. Those four members had removed the HD and MD, who obtained stayed order from MTI Tribunal against appointment of regular HD and MD.

“The existing BoG of MMC has been hamstrung by the court’s decisions despite the passing of turbulence period and its members are requesting fast track justice for delays and excessive interim orders,” said sources. They hope that tribunal, established to provide quick resolution of service and governance disputes, will deliver speedy judgments as they are frustrated with prolonging litigation.

In recent weeks, the tribunal also stayed several accountability measures including inquiries into embezzlement in Benazir Bhutto Children’s Hospital (BBCH) and staying removal of its project director, irregularities in awarding contract of hospital canteen and misuse of resources and illegal appointment and promotion to BPS-19 of the BoG secretary, sources said.

They said that the number of outpatients at institutional-based practice (IBP) rose from 14,000 to 24,000 per month within six months and MMC posted revenue of Rs500 million in 2024-25, up by Rs100 million from the previous year. Faculty recruitment improved, with critical posts in anaesthesia and interventional cardiology filled, and a fully functional catheterisation lab performing life-saving angioplasties, they added.

Published in Dawn, September 22nd, 2025