Govt responsible for KTH incident

Opposition parties demand resignation of Health Minister Taimur Saleem Jhagra

PESHAWAR:

The death of seven people at the Khyber Teaching Hospital allegedly due to the shortage of oxygen echoed loudly in the provincial assembly on Monday with the opposition using it to rake coals over the government.

As the Khyber-Pakthunkhwa (K-P) Assembly resumed on Monday afternoon with Speaker Mushtaq Ghani in the chair, provincial health minister Taimur Saleem Jhagra could be found sitting on the treasury benches along with other government members.

At the outset of the session, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) MPA Nighat Orakzai raised a point of objection over the deaths at the Khyber Teaching Hosptial.

At this, most opposition members started to speak on the matter.

Awami National Party (ANP) Parliamentary Leader Sardar Hussain Babak and MPA Khushdil Khan, PPP's Ahmed Kundi, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) Maulana Lutfur Rehman, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz's (PML-N) Sardar Yousaf among others stated that the government's promises of having reformed the health care sector of the province have been laid bare by the incident.

Claiming that the patients were 'murdered', they held the provincial government responsible for this failure. They further said that the government pay blood money to the heirs of the victims.

Demanding the resignation of the health minister, they asked that out of the 96 members of the treasury benches from the ruling party, did they not find anyone else capable enough to handle the health sector apart from the incumbent finance minister.

The opposition members also put up posters and placards to protest against the government and started chanting slogans of "resign", to demand the resignation of the minister.

They also rejected the preliminary inquiry report into the incident.

Responding to the opposition members, Jhagra conceded that the government and the health minister are answerable to the house over the incident.

Regarding resignation, he told the house that he keeps his in his pocket at all times and that he will happily present it the minute the chief minister demands it.

Jhagra added that he was working hard to fulfil his responsibilities as the health minister while the failure of the health system should be openly discussed on the floor of the assembly. As a start, he said that he was available to answer any question of the opposition about the incident.

He reiterated that the overall health system in the province has been improved, and the unfortunate loss of lives in this incident has saddened everybody.

On the matter of KTH's Board of Governors, he said that it had been established just three months ago and that it had nothing to do with the management of the hospital.

The minister said that they will work on addressing the gaps in the health sector to avoid such incidents in future.

Jhagra also defended the initial inquiry conducted into the incident, insisting that it was conducted impartially while all facts were presented to the public.

Opposition committee

Later, while expressing reservations over the government's inquiry into the matter, a meeting of opposition parties decided to probe the matter on their own.

In a meeting chaired by Leader of the Opposition in K-P Assembly Akram Khan Durrani, the opposition parties agreed to form a probe committee which will be led by ANP's Khushdil. Other members include Orakzai, PML-N's Aurangzeb Nalotha, JI's Inayatullah, Shagufta Malik and Naeema Kishwar.

This committee was directed to present its report within seven days.

Opposition members, who also protested against the provision of funds by the government, said that they will set up protest camps outside the Chief Minister House and K-P Speaker's chamber.

Bills passed

The assembly on Monday passed three bills with a majority of votes. The bills had been moved by K-P Law Minister and Parliamentary Leader Sultan Muhammad Khan. The bills included the K-P Energy Development Organization (PEDO) Bill, the Police (Amendment) Bill 2020, and the Healthcare Service Providers and Facilities (Prevention of Violence and Damage to Property) Bill 2020.

The PEDO bill said that the provincial government was committed to facilitating private sector investment and participation in developing energy resources of the province.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, December 8^th, 2020.