PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has developed policy guidelines for oversight and performance accountability of medical teaching institutions and an amendment to Medical Teaching Institutions Reforms Act, 2015, is being incorporated to make adviser to chief minister on health and health secretary members of MTI Policy Board, according to a senior official.

Speaking at a briefing regarding Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Good Governance Roadmap, held here with Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah in the chair, Dr Syed Ijaz Ali Shah, the chief of health sector reforms unit (HSRU) of health department, said that a proposed amendment was being vetted by law department to make health adviser or health minister and health secretary members of MTI Policy Board.

According to him, the proposed legislation has been sent to law department by health secretariat and its vetting was in progress. The process is likely to be completed by law department after which it will be placed before the cabinet for approval and then it will be tabled in provincial assembly.

The HSRU chief said that process of performance audit of all 10 medical teaching institutions (MTIs) in the province was in progress and chief executive officer of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Care Commission (HCC) was tasked to enlist the services of an independent firm for the purpose.

HCC to conduct audit of teaching hospitals through third party

He said that expression of interests (EoI) was floated for financial audit and firms were asked to submit technical and financial proposals by July 17. He added that four firms had submitted proposals but none qualified owing to which it was re-advertised and bids were opened on August 15.

Dr Ijaz said that technical evaluation was completed and financial bids would be opened soon.

Speaking on the occasion, the chief secretary instructed officials concerned to expedite the process and ensure third party independent audit of MTIs.

Sources in health department told Dawn that the steps to grant membership of MTI Policy Board to health adviser and health secretary and conduct impartial audit were recurring demand of health professionals as well as representatives of health workers to ensure transparency.

The provincial assembly passed Medical Teaching Institutions Reforms Act, 2015, under which teaching hospitals and their affiliated medical and dental colleges were granted financial and administrative autonomy to free them of political and bureaucratic influence. With the enforcement of MTIRA, health department lost control over MTI-covered institutions. MTIs are now run by respective Board of Governors, the members of which are selected from private sector.

“MTIs get one-line budget from government and utilise it as per their requirements. BoGs have immense powers and they can abolish, re-designate and create new posts without the approval of government,” said officials.

Policy Board, established under MTI Reforms Act, 2015, is apex body for all medical teaching institutions to ensure quality medical education and enhance patients’ care standards across the province.

Prof Nausherwan Burki, the architect of MTIRA, is chairman of six-member Policy Board to issue guideline to MTIs for transparent policies, strong leadership and continuous improvement initiatives and deliver safe, effective and patient-centered services, benefiting people of the province and fostering excellence in healthcare delivery.

However, lawmakers of ruling party as well as opposition parties and relevant departments have been proposing the audit of MTIs to ensure that public funds are utilised transparently.

Sources said that all members of Policy Board and BoGs were private and there was need to include minister and secretary to have check over MTIs.

The members of Policy Board and BoGs, however, say that they have internal audit departments, which are carrying out audits regularly.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2025