K-P opposition backs demands of protesting doctors

Akram Durrani points out failure of public healthcare policies

PESHAWAR: The opposition in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly took a strong exception of government’s policies for the public health sector, which have forced doctors to launch a protest campaign and boycott duties at hospitals and clinics across the province.

Opposition lawmakers demanded that Lady Reading Hospital Board of Directors Chairman Nowsherwan Burki should be removed to meet the demands of the protesting doctors and give relief to the people of the province.

Opposition Leader Akram Khan speaking on a calling attention notice stated that people were suffering the most due to protest of the doctors against policies of the government.

“We have been opposing the Medical Teaching Institute (MTI) Bill from day one as we could see that the public healthcare system will face such situations,” Durrani said.

Health sector has been pushed into a crisis in the name of changes, opposition leader said.

The provincial health department has hired an adviser who travels from US and back on government expenses every month, the system cannot bear such experiments, he added.

The JUI-F leader said even the education ministry being run by an adviser, who has ruined it.

The government had deprived the opposition from development funds: “we demand that our resignations from standing committees are be accepted immediately,” he said.

ANP member of provincial assembly Khushdil Khan stated that health Ministry being run by health secretary while the minister being a professional dentist had spent 24 years in the US. “The health minister should realise that this is not the US, it is Pakistan,” Khushdil asserted.

The provincial government could not fix the overflowing gutter in front of the provincial assembly, how could they bring change and reforms in the existing system, he said.

Replying the opposition benches, Senior Minister Atif Khan said: “if doctors perform well, we will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them, but if they did not deliver we will take action against them.”

The old system was not delivering services, “we are working for bring betterment in the system for people who have voted us to power,” Atif said.

He said the MTI system was made to fail deliberately, otherwise it could deliver best health services.

Regarding criticism against Dr Nowsherwan Burki, the architect of health reforms, Atif said he does not get any perks from public exchequer. “Opposition should not target Burki for being cousin of PM Imran Khan,” he said.

He said the government will not be blackmailed by doctors protesting against being transferred to their hometowns. 

Published in The Express Tribune, May 3^rd, 2019.