Govt hospital’s posts: Court stays summary on four CEOs appointment

PHC had initially issued a stay order on the appointments on August 5.

PESHAWAR:

The Peshawar High Court on Tuesday once again stayed the appointments of four chief executive officers (CEOs) of three hospitals in the city and one in Abbottabad.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Malik Manzoor Hussain and Justice Ikramullah Khan issued the orders after hearing arguments of Advocate Ijaz Anwer, Advocate Qazi Zia Zahid and Advocate Nelam Khan.

The three counsels were representing petitioners Dr Umer Ayub of Khyber Teaching Hospital, Dr Muhammad Zubair of Hayatabad Medical Complex and Prof Dr Nisar Khan of Ayub Medical Complex, who are also the CEOs at their institutions.

The justices said they would not allow the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Health Department to move the summary. Advocate Ijaz informed the bench CEOs of these hospitals are appointed on a contractual basis for three years and their tenure had not completed, but the new government wanted to replace them.

He claimed while the three CEOs were being removed, the CEO of the Lady Reading Hospital was not and termed this as discrimination. Following this, the court issued its order instructing the health department the summary could not be forwarded.

On August 5, a PHC division bench comprising Justice Nisar Hussain and Justice Malik Manzoor Hussain had issued a stay order barring the provincial government from making the appointments. But despite this, authorities decided to replace the CEOs anyway.

Pakistan Medical Association K-P chapter President Dr Hussain Ahmad Haroon on Tuesday also filed an application seeking contempt of court proceedings against the health secretary, chief secretary, health and chief minister for having disregarded the August 5 order.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 28^th, 2013.