PIMS staff protest against MTI

Say the policy has already failed in K-P

ISLAMABAD:

Federal Health Alliance (FHA) staged a protest against the imposition of the Medical Teaching Institute (MTI) ordinance in the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) on Monday.

The protesters rejected the promulgation of the MTI ordinance in Pims and demanded the government to revoke it immediately. They demanded immediate withdrawal of the ordinance from the government done.

A huge number of doctors, nurses, and paramedical staff participated in the protest. The demonstrators said that MTI was not acceptable, contending that it had already failed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). They added that MTI Act will deprive the poor’s right to free treatment while it would convert the institution into a corporate entity. Many employees will lose their jobs and the poor will have to pay for treatment and for availing pathological services.

The protesters demanded from the government to withdraw the MTI ordinance at the earliest. Three major public sector hospitals of the federal capital have been converted into Medical Teaching Institutes (MTI) after President Arif Alvi approved the ordinance proposed by the Minister of National Health Services (NHS). Pims, Federal Government Services Polyclinic Hospital and National Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine (NIRM) have been converted into MTI, which will be run under Board of Governors (BoGs).

As MTIs, they will be allowed to charge fee from the patients visiting to run the expenditure of the hospitals. Earlier, there was no or nominal charges being taken by the hospitals against providing medical services to the public. According to the bill, the MTI will be able to undertake all functions required for providing health facilities and healthcare services to the people and to provide medical education and training and research and to perform such other functions as are assigned to it by the government from time to time.

Last year doctors, medical and non-medical staff of Pims observed a strike at hospital against the MTI Act. Under the MTI, after the commencement of the Act, all civil servants serving in the medical teaching institution, within a period to be notified by the government may exercise a one-time irrevocable option to become employees of the medical teaching institution. Civil servants who opt for such employment, shall be subject to terms and conditions of employment as may be prescribed, including but not limited to their service structure, promotion and disciplinary matters. Such employees shall be entitled to post retirement benefits as per existing laws and rules.