RAWALPINDI, June 11: The Punjab health department here on Tuesday notified the names of the members of the Board of Governors for Rawalpindi’s autonomous hospitals.

Former Vice Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal (Rtd) Arshad Chaudhry has been nominated as the board’s chairman. The other three unofficial members nominated by the health department are Dr Khalid Javed, Mrs Anwar Raza and Mian Aslam Pervaiz.

Dr Javed has served as medical superintendent of Rawalpindi General Hospital, Holy Family Hospital Rawalpindi and Services Hospital Lahore. He has also served as director health services Rawalpindi Division before retiring from government service. Mrs Anwar is practising as a lawyer in the Supreme Court and has remained associated with humanitarian organizations.

The third member, Mr Pervaiz, is a local businessman and a leader of the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Punjab secretary health, secretary finance and principal executive officer would be the official members.

Under the Punjab Medical and Health Institutions Rules 2002, the board of governors was supposed to have five unofficial members, but the notification issued by the health department carried four nominations — three members and a chairman.

The move would balance the strength of unofficial members and that of official ones, and might have been aimed at safeguarding the government’s interests.

Some circles are considering it a violation of the ordinance covering the rules, which calls for nomination of five unofficial members.

Each board of governors, according to the Punjab Medical and Health Institutions Rules 2002, was to have five unofficial members from amongst educationists, jurists, financial experts, philanthropists, management experts and retired civil and military servicemen.

Moreover, the Punjab health department, while issuing the notification, did commit another violation of the ordinance by nominating the board’s chairman.

Under the ordinance: “The chairman of the board shall be elected by the members of the BoG from amongst the unofficial members at the first meeting of the board.”

The government, the circles concerned contended, would have had an easy sailing at the time of the chairman’s election in the first meeting because of the presence of three official members, but the approach showed the anxiety and sense of vulnerability that pervaded the officials associated with this exercise.

The overall control, direction and superintendence of the affairs of the hospitals shall vest in the board of governors of the respective autonomous institutions, which will be the principal governing body of that institution.

The first major task before the newly-inducted board would be the appointment of a principal executive officer, after which appointment of medical superintendents would follow. The other onerous task before the board would be that of starting institutional-based private practice preventing the doctors serving at government hospitals from doing procedural practice at private institutions.

The health department officials, commenting on the nominations, said all nominees were highly experienced, apolitical and had unblemished track record. The officials said the nominees would strive to change the existing environment of the hospitals through their talent and experience.