PHOTO: FILE
KARACHI: Members of the civil society, human rights activists and healthcare professionals have expressed concern over the federal government's move to assume control of the three major medical facilities in Karachi after the Supreme Court announced its verdict in the federal government's favour.
Addressing a joint press conference at the Karachi Press Club on Thursday, the activists termed the takeover of National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD), National Institute of Child Health (NICH) and the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) an attempt to undermine provincial autonomy ensured by the 18th Constitutional Amendment.
Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (PILER) Executive Director Karamat Ali and Dr Tipu Sultan of the Pakistan Medical Association, were joined by other activists to condemn the move. The other activists included Aurat Foundation Director Mehnaz Rehman, Faisal Edhi of the Edhi Foundation, Nasir Mansoor of the National Trade Union Federation (NTUF), Saeed Baloch, who is general secretary of the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF), Habibuddin Junaidi of the Sindh Labour Solidary Committee, Nazim F Haji, female workers' leader Zohra Khan, Naghma Shaikh and Advocate Abid Feroz, who is acting president of the Karachi Bar Association (KBA).
Centre takes control of three major health facilities in Karachi
All three major health institutions in Karachi, under the control of the provincial government of Sindh, have progressed a lot, they said, adding that currently, all these institutions were offering free of charge, quality healthcare services to the common people, who come from across Pakistan.
For a population of about 20 million people in Karachi, the total beds available for patients are only 3,500, said Dr Sultan. About 60% of the beds come under private sector hospitals.
Previously, under the control of the federal government, all three institutions were charging various fees for healthcare services, but now no fee is being charged. For example, currently, NICVD is offering costly cardio services like angioplasty, installation of stunts, etc. free of cost to all patients. The patients are not even charged for hospital services, food or medicines, he added.
Such quality health facilities, as being offered by the three government hospitals, are not available anywhere else in the country. NICVD has also extended its services to other parts of Sindh. Independent satellite NICVD centres have been established in Sukkur, Sehwan, Mithi, Nawabshah, Khairpur, Hyderabad, Tando Muhammad Khan and Larkana, said Dr Sultan.
Similarly, NICVD has established chest pain units at prominent roundabouts or under bridges and flyovers in Karachi to provide accessible emergency services to the masses, he said. These 24/7 Chest Pain Units, equipped with all the necessary equipment, doctors and paramedical staff, are located under Gulshan Chowrangi Flyover, Gulbai Flyover, Qayyumabad Chowrangi Flyover, Malir Halt Flyover, Nagan Chowrangi Flyover, Railway Road, and other places.
The civil society activists expressed the fear after the federal government's takeover, the services of all such facilities would be affected severely and the poor patients will be charged heavily as was being done in the past.
Only three Karachi hospitals meet medico-legal requirements
They said that a review petition by the Sindh government is still pending with the Supreme Court (SC) and any such action in haste by the Centre would harm the Constitutional obligations of the federal government. They appealed to the apex court to take cognisance of the matter and start a proper hearing of the Sindh government's review petition as soon as possible.
They pointed out that the SC judge, Justice Maqbool Baqar, who was part of the five-member bench in the above verdict, has written a dissent note in which he has clearly indicated that the subjects of public health and public hospitals fall within the legislative competence and executive authority of the provinces only.
Justice Baqar stated that the Article 274 of the Constitution provides that all properties and assets, which on the commencement of the Constitution, vested in the federal government, shall, in case they, on the commencing day, were to be used for the "purposes" of a provincial government, shall become properties of the said provincial government.
They urged the federal government to exercise restraint and wait for the SC's final verdict.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 31st, 2019.
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