Health facilities control: Sindh decides to move review petition in SC

Murtaza Wahab regrets MQM-P’s silence over apex court’s decision

KARACHI: Three days after losing control over three hospitals, Sindh government decided to challenge Supreme Court decision on Saturday, and file a review petition to regain control of Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Centre (JPMC), National Institute of Cardio Vascular Disease (NICVD) and National Institute of Child Health (NICH).

Addressing a press conference in Sindh Assembly, Adviser to Chief Minister on Information, Law and Anti-corruption, Barrister Murtaza Wahab, said that the devolution of health sector to the provincial government was done keeping in view the best interests of the public.

"We will soon change the court's decision," said Wahab, referring to the review petition. "Health units were devolved to the provincial government in accordance with the 18th Amendment," he said.



Wahab maintained that the provincial government has been providing health services to the people effectively and its initiatives have strengthened public health facilities.

Citing the example of NICVD, he said that the Sindh government had increased the health budget significantly.

"The total budget of NICVD was Rs400 million at the time of the devolution. Sindh government has increased it to Rs12 billion," he said.

"NICVD, which was only in Karachi at the time, has now been established in several districts, including Hyderabad, Tando Muhammad Khan, Mithi, Larkana, Khairpur, Nawabshah, Sehwan and Sukkur," said Wahab, adding that currently eight chest pain units were providing free of charge services to people in different parts of Karachi and roughly 150,000 heart patients had availed services till yet.

Referring to the JPMC, he said, the institute has been revolutionised with state of the art services. He cited the CyberKnife Robot installed at JPMC and Cancer research conducted there as examples of the facility's advancement, adding that it also provides free of charge services.

He vowed that efforts by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to bulldoze the 18th Amendment would be strongly opposed by the Sindh government.

"They [PTI] are mistaken. The purpose of the 18th Amendment was to strengthen Pakistan. The country cannot be prosperous till provinces have full autonomy," he said.



"I am surprised that those who once claimed ownership of Karachi have remained silent on the decision to snatch provincial authority," said Wahab, referring indirectly to Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P).

On being questioned about Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari's, and the Sindh chief minister's names on the Exit Control List (ECL), Wahab quoted the Supreme Court.

"As far as the recommendations relating to Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Murad Ali Shah are concerned, the learned counsel for the joint investigation team has frankly conceded that the material against the said persons may need reexamination to arrive at the correct conclusion," read out Wahab from SC's decision. He added that the apex court and the JIT's counsel had endorsed Sindh government's point of view.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 20^th, 2019.