President signs much-delayed ‘PIMS Bill 2022’

Legislation repeals MTI Act governing affairs of capital’s three major hospitals

ISLAMABAD:

After much dragging and delay, President Dr Arif Alvi on Tuesday finally gave his assent to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences Bill 2022, virtually repealing the Federal Medical Teaching Institute (MTI) Act 2021.

The bill to repeal the MTI Act was passed by the National Assembly and Senate earlier and the bill was sent to the president for approval. However, the president returned the bill on November 8, 2022, advising ‘reconsideration’.

Later, the parliament passed the amended bill in its joint session on December 20, 2022 before it was.

The president gave his assent to the bill under Article 75 of the Constitution.

Critics earlier alleged that the president was delaying the sign to repeal the act because the MTI act was legislated by his party, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) .

Three major public sector hospitals of the federal capital had been converted into the Medical Teaching Institutes (MTI) after President Arif Alvi earlier approved the ordinance (act) during the PTI government’s tenure. Under the MTI act, the PIMS, the Polyclinic and the NIRM had been converted into MTI, which are being run under the Board of Governors (BoGs).

Earlier, the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) hospital employees held several days of protest demanding to repeal of the MTI Act.

The protesters had asked the government to revoke it immediately.

A large number of doctors, nurses, and paramedical staff participated in the protest. The demonstrators said that MTI ACT was not acceptable as it has converted the institution (PIMS) into a corporate entity and deprived the poor of getting free treatment.

Due to the protest, all OPDs of the hospital also remained completely closed.

Federal Health Alliance (FHA) Chairman Qamar Gujjar had said that employees were left with no option but to opt for protests and eventually shut down the hospital. He said that because of the delay in signing the bill, the entire hospital was suffering due to uncertainty.

Under the MTI Act, hospitals were allowed to charge fees 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.

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.

Doctors said that while there were many issues with the MTI Act, the major hurdle was that those who accepted working under it could only run their private clinic at the premises of government hospitals and were never allowed private practice at clinics outside the hospital. They further said that the allowances promised by the government to forego private clinics turned out to be empty.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 4^th, 2023.