PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Medical Association, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, on Tuesday warned that administrative changes at government teaching hospitals in the province was tantamount to committing contempt of the court as the matter was sub judice.

The warning was given in separate legal notices issued to the provincial governor, chief minister and 26 relevant people.

In the notices issued through senior lawyer Mian Muhibullah Kakakhel, provincial PMA president Dr Hussain Ahmad Haroon asked respondents to refrain from taking drastic steps under the KP Medical Teaching Institutions Act, 2015, or its rules as the matter is pending with the Peshawar High Court for decision.

Besides governor and chief minister, the respondents also included chairmen and members of the newly-created boards of governors of three public sector teaching hospitals, secretaries of health, law and higher education departments, principals of Khyber Medical College, Khyber Girls Medical College and several others.

In the notices, Dr Haroon said the Teachers KMC and others had filed a petition against the enactment of the KP Medical teaching Institutions Reform Act, 2015, by the provincial government and later, the PMA also became co-petitioner.

He said senior most KMC teaching staff had challenged the KP Medical Teaching Institutions Act, 2015, in the court on different grounds.

The petitioner told respondents that not only comments had been called from them in the said petition by the Peshawar High Court but a notice had also been issued to the relevant officials and advocate general of the province on it.

He claimed during all hearings, the government failed to furnish comments on the petition as it had nothing to say.

The petitioner said the government and the hospitals’ BoGs formed under the impugned law had begun taking major decisions and steps under that law despite knowing that the superstructure built on a matter, which is sub judice, was liable to collapse at their risk and cost.

He said the professors’ mental agony was manifest as it was reasonably felt that the government was trying to bring in their own favourite people from abroad and other cities of the country to ‘run the show’.

Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2015

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