Pindi’s health authority cries out for chairman, members
They were to be appointed from the elected representatives of the city
They were to be appointed from the elected representatives of the city. PHOTO: Express
RAWALPINDI:
Dr Muhammad Rashid has been appointed as the third chief executive officer of the Rawalpindi District Health Authority (RDHA). But over five-and-a-half years after it was formed, the authority is still being run by officials rather than having a formal chairman and members.
As a result, it has been unable to fulfil its task of maintaining quality and standards at the three allied hospitals of the city.
The health authority had been created under the previous Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government. Its chairman and members were supposed to be elected local government representatives.
Even though local governments were formed and a fully functioning municipal corporation was formed with an elected mayor, the health authority has yet to become fully functional.
This is due to the fact that the Rawalpindi District Council has yet to be completed since elections were never held in some of the Union Councils (UCs), including Murree and Kotli Satyan, hindering the election of the chairman and vice chairman of these district councils.
In the meantime, the authority has been run by Dr Fayyaz Butt and Dr Tariq Mehmood as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) with Dr Rashid the latest to steer the body.
With no formal chairman, the authority has been limited to running vaccination and prevention drives against polio, measles, and dengue viruses.
Due to the inattention of the authority towards basic health centres of the District Headquarters Hospital (DHQ) in the six tehsils of the city, has meant that a large number of patients get referred from the tehsils to the tertiary care hospitals.
This, in turn, has created a shortage of beds, medicine and medical facilities at the three allied hospitals in the city including the Benazir Bhutto General Hospital (BBH), the Holy Family Hospital (HFH), and the DHQ.
When asked about the challenge he has before him, RDHA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr Rashid stated that the onus of appointing authority members was on the Punjab government.
The authority will only operate effectively once the members are appointed, he conceded.
Meanwhile, a case regarding the election of the district chairman is still pending in court.
Municipal bodies reduced to anti-encroachment teams
With municipal corporations, municipal committees, district councils and union councils starved of funds and authority across the province, their municipal officers are reduced to running anti-encroachment drives.
Elected members of the local government have been reduced to holding sessions of the municipal corporation and issuing fiery speeches against the government.
Even though they were created over three years ago, the district council in Rawalpindi has yet to hold their elections for chairman and vice chairman.
As a result, there is no Rawalpindi District Council. Kotli Sattiyan holds the unique honour in all of Punjab where no elections for any union council were ever held.
When the Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation elected a mayor, after a delay of a year, it was neither provided with any funds nor any powers. This situation continued under the caretaker government while the incoming Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government even stopped what little funds which were being provided.
Such is the situation now that when the provincial chief minister or governor visit, the mayor of the city is not even invited.
Nor is he given a seat during meetings of the commissioner, deputy commissioner, city police officer and ministers.
Moreover, their rights of transferring or hiring staff such as peons and drivers have also been withdrawn.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 13th, 2019.
Dr Muhammad Rashid has been appointed as the third chief executive officer of the Rawalpindi District Health Authority (RDHA). But over five-and-a-half years after it was formed, the authority is still being run by officials rather than having a formal chairman and members.
As a result, it has been unable to fulfil its task of maintaining quality and standards at the three allied hospitals of the city.
The health authority had been created under the previous Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government. Its chairman and members were supposed to be elected local government representatives.
Even though local governments were formed and a fully functioning municipal corporation was formed with an elected mayor, the health authority has yet to become fully functional.
This is due to the fact that the Rawalpindi District Council has yet to be completed since elections were never held in some of the Union Councils (UCs), including Murree and Kotli Satyan, hindering the election of the chairman and vice chairman of these district councils.
In the meantime, the authority has been run by Dr Fayyaz Butt and Dr Tariq Mehmood as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) with Dr Rashid the latest to steer the body.
With no formal chairman, the authority has been limited to running vaccination and prevention drives against polio, measles, and dengue viruses.
Due to the inattention of the authority towards basic health centres of the District Headquarters Hospital (DHQ) in the six tehsils of the city, has meant that a large number of patients get referred from the tehsils to the tertiary care hospitals.
This, in turn, has created a shortage of beds, medicine and medical facilities at the three allied hospitals in the city including the Benazir Bhutto General Hospital (BBH), the Holy Family Hospital (HFH), and the DHQ.
When asked about the challenge he has before him, RDHA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr Rashid stated that the onus of appointing authority members was on the Punjab government.
The authority will only operate effectively once the members are appointed, he conceded.
Meanwhile, a case regarding the election of the district chairman is still pending in court.
Municipal bodies reduced to anti-encroachment teams
With municipal corporations, municipal committees, district councils and union councils starved of funds and authority across the province, their municipal officers are reduced to running anti-encroachment drives.
Elected members of the local government have been reduced to holding sessions of the municipal corporation and issuing fiery speeches against the government.
Even though they were created over three years ago, the district council in Rawalpindi has yet to hold their elections for chairman and vice chairman.
As a result, there is no Rawalpindi District Council. Kotli Sattiyan holds the unique honour in all of Punjab where no elections for any union council were ever held.
When the Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation elected a mayor, after a delay of a year, it was neither provided with any funds nor any powers. This situation continued under the caretaker government while the incoming Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government even stopped what little funds which were being provided.
Such is the situation now that when the provincial chief minister or governor visit, the mayor of the city is not even invited.
Nor is he given a seat during meetings of the commissioner, deputy commissioner, city police officer and ministers.
Moreover, their rights of transferring or hiring staff such as peons and drivers have also been withdrawn.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 13th, 2019.