Clinics are not retail shops: PIMA rejects FBR's POS push

The Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA) has rejected the Federal Board of Revenue's (FBR) move to introduce a Point-of-Sale (POS) system at medical clinics, arguing that treating healthcare like a retail business could not only burden patients with higher costs but also put sensitive medical information at risk.

PIMA central president Prof Atif Hafeez Siddiqui said clinics and hospitals were not supermarkets or retail outlets selling fixed commodities, as every consultation and treatment was tailored to a patient's individual medical needs.

He questioned the technical suitability of imposing a POS system on sensitive medical services, saying doctors examined and treated patients according to their specific conditions rather than conducting standardised retail transactions.

PIMA president Dr Abdul Ghafoor said private clinics were already regulated by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), healthcare commissions and district health departments. He questioned the need for another non-medical government body to intervene in the sector, particularly when the health sector alone was being targeted for POS implementation.