ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has taken exception to the raids by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) at private healthcare centres, asking the prime minister to take notice of “aggressive”, “commando-style” searches by tax officials.

In a statement, the representative body of healthcare professionals said the “unannounced and aggressive entry of FBR teams into private healthcare facilities — particularly across Punjab — has reached an intolerable level of harassment”.

Such measures threaten the very fabric of healthcare delivery in the country, said PMA Secretary General Dr Abdul Ghafoor Shoro in a statement. “The PMA highlights that recent raids, which forced the immediate suspension of Outpatient Department (OPD) services, are not merely administrative issues; they constitute a direct interference in patient management and a violation of the sanctity of life-saving institutions,” according to the statement.

It said the presence of enforcement officials in clinics “creates an atmosphere of fear, causes psychological distress to patients, and disrupts surgical teams”.

Association claims such measures threaten fabric of healthcare delivery

“Tax collection must never come at the cost of human life. Doctors are not ‘traders,’ and hospitals are not ‘retail outlets’. The private sector serves over 70pc of Pakistan’s population. Treating healthcare providers as commercial vendors is a gross misinterpretation of a noble profession,” he stated.

“While we respect the rule of law, audits should be conducted through documented, professional channels not through ‘commando-style’ raids that victimise healers. This targeted victimisation discourages professional excellence and pushes our brightest medical minds to seek opportunities abroad,” it claimed.

The PMA said the doctors were ready to comply with taxation, provided there was accountability for how that money would be spent. “We demand that the tax collected from the sweat and toil of healers not be squandered on the luxurious lifestyles of the ruling elite,” he stated.

It called upon the PM and the finance minister to take immediate notice. “We demand an immediate cessation of these aggressive tactics,” Dr Shoro stated.

He warned that if the FBR does not immediately halt the ‘harassment’, the PMA will be forced to take the final, definitive step of a nationwide suspension of services. “The responsibility for any resulting healthcare crisis will rest solely on the shoulders of the FBR and the relevant authorities,” he added.

In December 2025, the FBR deployed Inland Revenue Service (IRS) officers to the premises of commercial hospitals and clinics, marking a shift toward on-site monitoring. The initiative gained momentum in the wake of the poor tax compliance of doctors in the tax year 2025.

Official figures compiled by the FBR show that a large share of Pakistan’s medical profession remains outside the tax net, while a minimal number of those on the tax rolls declared extremely low annual incomes in their tax returns.

Of the 319,572 registered doctors nationwide, only 130,243 are registered on the income tax rolls, representing 40.75 per cent of the total. Even within this already narrow base, just 56,267 doctors filed income tax returns.

Published in Dawn, January 11th, 2026