RAWALPINDI, Feb 8: Non-official members of the city’s autonomous hospitals’ board of governors plan to meet unofficially on Monday to find a way out of the crisis that began with the resignation of the chairman, Air Marshal Arshad Chaudhry (retired), sources said here on Saturday.

One of the BoG members told this reporter that they had been reviewing the legal status of the situation following the resignation of the chairman. However, he said: “We have for the time being not decided to meet officially.”

The ordinance governing the hospitals’ autonomy, he said, was silent on such a situation. “Crisis can only be resolved by sitting together and discussing,” he added. He said initiating a process of reconciliation was very much a possibility.

Mr Chaudhry had resigned on Thursday in protest against Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervez Elahi’s decision to reinstate Dr Nisar Cheema as the medical superintendent of Holy Family Hospital. However, so far there has been no word from the government over the acceptance or rejection of his resignation.

Meanwhile, the principal executive officer, Dr Majid Rajput, has so far been obstructing Dr Cheema from taking over the charge and the stand-off on this issue persists as well.

Dr Rajput is of the opinion that Dr Cheema has been posted back only as assistant principal medical officer and not as the MS, whereas Dr Cheema believes otherwise.

Under the ordinance the government now cannot replace the outgoing chairman and it is purely the BoG members own prerogative to elect the new chief. The government may, however, complete the strength of the board by nominating another member.