AMC dean claims CM misguidedon vacant ATH posts

ABBOTTABAD:

A meeting between the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister (CM) and local officials in Abbottabad has sparked controversy.

In a letter addressing the Hazara commissioner, Ayub Medical College (AMC) Dean Prof Saqib Malik claimed that inaccurate information about Ayub Medical Teaching Institution (AMTI) was presented to the K-P CM during the recent meeting.

Dr Malik alleged that the CM was given misleading details regarding the vacant posts at Ayub Teaching Hospital.

The meeting, held on December 13, 2024, at the commissioner's house in Abbottabad, aimed to address staffing shortages at the hospital, a key healthcare facility in the region.

He stated that he was excluded from the discussion despite being prepared to provide a comprehensive briefing.

Instead, he was reportedly made to wait for over four hours before being summoned, which he attributed to negligence by the Commissioner's office staff. "This lack of inclusion led to the dissemination of inaccurate information to the chief minister, undermining efforts to improve service delivery at Ayub Teaching Hospital," Dr Malik claimed.

The provincial government had recently lifted a ban on new appointments, a move that allowed some vacant positions at the hospital to be advertised, with more expected to be announced soon.

Dr Malik said that this progress could have been effectively communicated to the chief minister, had he been allowed to participate in the meeting.