PESHAWAR: Most medical teaching institutions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have failed to observe the working hours outlined in the regulations of the Medical Teaching Institutions Reforms Act even 11 years after the law’s enforcement, prompting the MTI Policy Board to order implementation of notified duty schedules, according to officials.

They said the KP Medical Teaching Institutions Reforms Act (MTIRA), implemented in 2015 to grant administrative and financial autonomy to the province’s teaching hospitals and affiliated medical and dental colleges to free them from political and bureaucratic influence and improve patient care, had yet to fully enforce prescribed working hours.

Recently, the MTI-Policy Board issued a directive to all 11 MTIs, asking them to observe timings as per law. The MTI Policy Board is required to issue guidelines to all MTIs and ensure the enforcement of the law on uniformed lines to bring improvement in healthcare of the people.

Policy board chairman orders enforcement of duty schedules

The MTI-covered institutions are run by the board of governors (BoGs), whose members are selected from the private sector by the search and nomination council, headed by the health minister. Approval to them is granted by the chief minister.

BoGs have immense powers but the concern was recently shown by chairman of MTI Policy Board Prof Nausherwan Burki over non-observance of the mandatory working hours as per the law has brought to spotlight major weakness on their part.

In a letter to heads of all BoGs, Prof Burki noted that the during his recent review of various MTIs, he felt very concerned to find many operating in violation of the MTIRA and its regulations in terms of their working hours.

“MTIs continue to follow the old work hours of 8am-2pm six days a week, so they are essentially closed except for emergencies after 2pm and staff work six hours a day,” he insisted.

The Policy Board chairman pointed out that as per Item

No 23 of the MTIRA’s regulations, the regular working hours for employees were from 8am to 4:30pm, including a 30-minute lunch break, five days a week.

He, however, said timings might vary for employees working in shift-based departments as the hospital worked in three shifts.

Prof Burki also said that he would be “grateful” if the MTIs enforced those working hours.

However, sources in MTIs said that even after the chairman voiced concerns, the doctors and other MTI staff members continued to follow the old timings, especially the clinical staff as OPDs and diagnostic services remained closed after 2pm.

They said consultants started institution-based practice at 4pm to examine patients on payment, with most OPD visitors showing up in the evening to get examined. The consultants sit in OPDs in the morning and use their rooms for IBP in the evening.

Officials said if the recent directives of the Policy Board’s chairman were implemented in letter and spirit, the patients would get proper care in OPDs without paying fees.

Members of the Lady Reading Hospital’s administration claimed they had long been implementing duty schedules in line with the MTIRA, with patients coming to OPD getting all services under the same roof.

Officials claimed that while in other Peshawar-based MTIs, the people in administration sat at their respective duty places until 4:30pm, the clinicians weren’t observing working hours.

They said that the doctors who were recruited under the MTIRA were bound to observe the notified duty schedules but they started their clinics in IBP at 4pm, while the consultants who were civil servants left hospitals before 4pm.

Published in Dawn, April 22nd, 2026