PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa health department has temporarily restored the share of hospital employees in “user charges” in accordance with a court decision.
The discontinuation of the distribution of revenue generated through laboratory tests, admissions and operating theatres among hospital employees was ordered by the department in Dec last year.
Officials said the move was meant to divert the amount towards improving patient care in accordance with the guidelines outlined in the KP Finance Act, 2021.
They said employees, including doctors, nurses, paramedics and other hospital staff members, had long been receiving a share in user charges.
Health dept issues notification
Officials said the government had declared the practice a violation of the law and ordered its immediate discontinuation.
They said through a notification, the director general (health services), director general of the provincial Health Services Academy, director general (drugs control and pharmacy services), district health officers and medical superintendents of all non-MTI district headquarters hospitals and category B, C and D hospitals had been directed to ensure that employees’ share in user charges was stopped.
Titled “Discontinuation of Distribution of Share to the Staff from the Revenue Collected by the Hospitals”, the notification pointed out that following the enactment of the Finance Act, 2021, all notifications regarding deductions from user charges or the distribution of the revenue so collected among staff were no longer valid.
It said hospitals were distributing substantial amounts among their staff as a share of the revenue collected in clear contravention of the law, so the practice should be stopped forthwith.
According to the notification, 90pc of the revenue collected will be retained and transferred to the designated bank accounts of the respective health management committees (HMCs) and primary care management committees (PCMCs) for utilisation in accordance with the guidelines, while the rest will be deposited in the exchequer in accordance with the law.
Officials said the share from user charges had financially benefited employees working in diagnostic sections, such as pathology, cardiology and radiology, ranging from technicians to section heads.
They said the notification was not enforced, as had happened in the past.
Officials said previous attempts to enforce the directive had failed because staff received substantial amounts of money and made extra efforts to increase revenue and improve facilities for visitors.
They said the staff deployed in district headquarters and other hospitals under the health department had been generating substantial revenue from patients, which is deposited into the respective accounts.
Officials said a portion of the money collected through user charges is also distributed among employees involved in providing services under the Sehat Card Plus (SCP) health insurance scheme.
They said according to the formula, 25pc of SCP income should be used to improve service quality, including minor repairs and maintenance of the respective health facilities, while 20pc should be allocated to consumables and 30pc to other doctors, including surgeons, physicians, anaesthetists, pathologists, radiologists and medical officers involved in providing services to patients.
Officials said the formula declared that 15pc of the income should go to nursing and paramedical staff and 10pc to administrative and auxiliary staff. The arrangement was in place in district headquarters hospitals and benefited employees. Officials said they would now receive their share as usual.
Published in Dawn, October 23rd, 2026
