Fixing healthcare in K-P

Reforming anything in Pakistan is fraught, the more so when years of neglect or political interference has led to deficits in public services that are deeply systemic, only reformed by radical intervention. Hospitals in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) are in need of root-and-branch overhaul and have been for many years, and as for many other entities, privatisation has been floated as a possible solution. As is common, whenever anything that smacks of privatisation, or a version thereof, is proposed, mayhem ensues, and such is currently the case in K-P. In broad terms, we support the K-P government in its desire for reform but yet again there is evidence of chronic ineptitude, nay incompetence, when it comes to complex and sensitive changes to systems that are highly resistant to revision of existing practice.

Imran Khan has clarified that no privatisation was under way when it came to the province’s hospitals; merely an improvement in standards and their management. He further said that the imposition of the Essential Services Act by the K-P government was in reality the provincial authorities acting in accordance with a decision by the Peshawar High Court on December 7, 2015. This has seemingly mollified nobody. There were strikes at some hospitals, partial strikes at others and no strikes at all at yet others. The Insaf Doctors Forum has condemned political interference, patients’ relatives have held protests and burned tyres and the PML-N leader Amir Maqam has stirred the pot by going to Hayatabad Medical Complex and appearing to incite doctors to strike. This has led Mr Khan to ask the chief minister to file an FIR against him and, in the midst of the political grandstanding, patient services are pushed aside and healthcare in general takes another step backwards. A poverty of competencies lies at the heart of the problem. Difficult as it may be, and inconvenient, stakeholder consultation prior to implementation is essential if the evident chaos is to be avoided. Un-making corrupt and bad practice is never easy, be it in healthcare or anywhere else. We prescribe a dose of management training for all concerned.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 11^th,  2016.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.