Senate panel incensed over absence of top health officials

'Attitude of the ministry officials wrong'

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services (NHS) and Regulation held on Tuesday was suspended due to absence of NHS and Regulation minister, secretary and director general.

The held to discuss the problems people face in accessing public healthcare ended without any result due to absence of NHS high-ups. The committee showed concern over the absence of relevant authorities and it ended the meeting on a note of protest.

The committee meeting was chaired by Senator Khushbakht Shujaat at Parliament House on Tuesday.

The committee members expressed displeasure over absence of Special Assistant to Prime Minister on NHS Dr Zafar Mirza, secretary and director general. The members said that there was no point of their presence if the ministry’s high-ups did not bother to come.

The NHS joint secretary said that the meeting agenda was related to the institutions running under health ministry and all the related officials were present. Senator Behramand Tangi replied that the members travelled from all over the country just to cover the meeting and asked why the top officials had not come, though they were all in Islamabad. He suggested that the matter should be taken to the Senate chairman.

The matter was brought to the notice of the Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani in the presence of the Leader of the House Senator Shibli Faraz. In committee’s view, it was a breach of privilege. Sanjrani and Faraz took serious notice of this issue.

Committee members went to Sanjrani’s chamber to draw his attention towards the matter. They told Sanjrani that the high ups of health ministry were least interested in attending the committee meetings and took things very casually.

At this, the chairman senate expressed displeasure and said that a strict action would be taken on the issue. He added that the government should ensure presence of related ministers and officials in all senate standing committee meetings.

After returning to the meeting room, the committee chairman told that the chairman senate had taken notice of the issue while Tangi expressed that such casual attitude of the bureaucracy was becoming a cause of defamation of the government. He added that the government had to face difficulties due to non-seriousness of the bureaucracy.

Senator Sikandar Mehndro said: “Do you consider Senate committee meetings a joke?” and questioned the absence of NHS DG, adding that whether the current meeting didn’t have anything to do with health affairs.

The committee chairperson said that the meetings of health committee had more importance than any other committee as the matters related to people’s lives were discussed there.

She added that the attitude of the ministry officials was wrong and said that the meeting would not take place unless they took things seriously.

She decided to call off the meeting after which the members left the room without discussing the agenda as a sign of protest.

Chaired by Senator Khushbakht Shujaat, the meeting was attended by Senator Mian Muhammad Ateeq Shaikh, Senator Dr Mehr Taj Roghani, Senator Liaqat Khan Tarakai, Senator Sana Jamali, Senator Dr Asad Ashraf, Senator Dilawar Khan, Senator Dr Ghous Muhammad Khan Niazi, Dr Sikandar Mandhro, Senator Bahramand Khan Tangi, Senator Sardar Muhammad Shafiq Tareen and senior officers from Ministry of National Health Services and Regulations along with all concerned.

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