An ill wind blows: Doctors threaten strike against proposed legislation
Say barring them from practice at private clinics will solve nothing
PESHAWAR:
The Provincial Doctors Association (PDA) on Tuesday threatened to go on strike against proposed legislation in the health sector.
Addressing a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club, PDA Chairman Shah Sawar pointed out the proposed legislation places ban on government doctors’ practice in their clinics which urges them to continue providing treatment at hospitals. He said the legislation would change nothing as patients would have to pay regardless of whether it was at a hospital or a clinic.
“They have decided that doctors should check patients in a separate section of the hospital. However, this will not help poor patients as they still have to pay at clinics inside the hospital,” said Sawar.
Sawar told reporters that the health ministry should have taken all stakeholders on board before proposing any changes. He claimed that legislation without consultation would not survive.
The PDA chairman said chief executives of five teaching hospitals and four health secretaries had been shifted in the last 18 months. He stressed this was against the law as “a chief executive is posted for a term of three years. However, all chief executives at the five teaching hospitals are holding the post in an acting capacity.” The PDA chairman also demanded a stipend for house officers and trainee medical officers.
Expressing reservations over handing control of the Post Graduate Medical Institute’s (PGMI) to the K-P health secretary, Sarwar said the institute was a school of specialisation where doctors were selected on merit.
“Once PGMI falls under the control of the health sectary, the government will admit their blue-eyed people for specialisation courses,” Sawar said, adding the PDA would never tolerate such legislation and threatened of taking to the streets if it was introduced.
Earlier on Monday, the K-P government decided to replace the Health Regulatory Authority (HRA) with the Health Care Commission (HCC) as it believes the former failed to serve its purpose. “It (HRA) is to be replaced by the HCC and will be run by private and government personnel,” K-P Minister for Information Mushtaq Ghani told the media after a cabinet meeting on Monday.
Moreover, the cabinet decided to regularise the services of around five hundred ad hoc doctors in the province, Ghani said, adding the commission would have nine members, including six from the private sector and three government officials.
The cabinet had also approved giving full autonomy to four teaching hospitals of the province, namely Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC), Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH), Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) and Ayub Teaching Hospital.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 19th, 2014.
The Provincial Doctors Association (PDA) on Tuesday threatened to go on strike against proposed legislation in the health sector.
Addressing a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club, PDA Chairman Shah Sawar pointed out the proposed legislation places ban on government doctors’ practice in their clinics which urges them to continue providing treatment at hospitals. He said the legislation would change nothing as patients would have to pay regardless of whether it was at a hospital or a clinic.
“They have decided that doctors should check patients in a separate section of the hospital. However, this will not help poor patients as they still have to pay at clinics inside the hospital,” said Sawar.
Sawar told reporters that the health ministry should have taken all stakeholders on board before proposing any changes. He claimed that legislation without consultation would not survive.
The PDA chairman said chief executives of five teaching hospitals and four health secretaries had been shifted in the last 18 months. He stressed this was against the law as “a chief executive is posted for a term of three years. However, all chief executives at the five teaching hospitals are holding the post in an acting capacity.” The PDA chairman also demanded a stipend for house officers and trainee medical officers.
Expressing reservations over handing control of the Post Graduate Medical Institute’s (PGMI) to the K-P health secretary, Sarwar said the institute was a school of specialisation where doctors were selected on merit.
“Once PGMI falls under the control of the health sectary, the government will admit their blue-eyed people for specialisation courses,” Sawar said, adding the PDA would never tolerate such legislation and threatened of taking to the streets if it was introduced.
Earlier on Monday, the K-P government decided to replace the Health Regulatory Authority (HRA) with the Health Care Commission (HCC) as it believes the former failed to serve its purpose. “It (HRA) is to be replaced by the HCC and will be run by private and government personnel,” K-P Minister for Information Mushtaq Ghani told the media after a cabinet meeting on Monday.
Moreover, the cabinet decided to regularise the services of around five hundred ad hoc doctors in the province, Ghani said, adding the commission would have nine members, including six from the private sector and three government officials.
The cabinet had also approved giving full autonomy to four teaching hospitals of the province, namely Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC), Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH), Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) and Ayub Teaching Hospital.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 19th, 2014.