Health ministry barred from repatriating PIMS chief

The federal health ministry was barred on Wednesday from repatriating the chief executive of the largest tertiary care hospital in the federal capital back to Punjab.

This was directed on Wednesday by a single member-bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), comprising Chief Justice Athar Minallah as it heard a case about the appointment of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) Executive Director Dr Amjad.

During Wednesday’s hearing, the petitioner’s counsel argued that Dr Amjad had been deputed in the hospital from Punjab in 2004.

A year later in 2005, he was merged with the institution.

The lawyer further said that his client had received a show-cause notice on July 22 to return to Punjab, having spent the past 16 years in the federal capital, rising to head Pims.

He referred to the past verdicts of the Lahore High Court (LHC) and the Supreme Court (SC) which were in Dr Amjad favour.

The counsel further argued that the notice issued to Dr Amjad had not been issued by Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is the competent authority to do so in the absence of a full-time health minister.

After the conclusion of arguments, the court barred the federal health ministry from deciding on the matter.

It then issued notices to the Punjab Health Department, the federal health secretary, the Establishment Secretary and the Pims management.

Later, the court adjourned further hearings for two weeks.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 6^th, 2020.