Another doctor from Shaukat Khanum Lahore becomes chairman of hospital BoG in KP

PESHAWAR: Another doctor of Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre managed to become chairman of the all-powerful Board of Governors (BoG) of a tertiary care hospital in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Tuesday.

Dr Aasim Yousaf, chief medical officer (CMO) of Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital Lahore was the third one from the institution to win the BoG chairman’s position.

He would lead BoG of Ayub Medical Teaching Institution, Abbottabad.

Before him, two other doctors including Dr Nausherwan Burki and Dr Faisal Sultan had become chairmen of the BoGs of Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) and Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH, respectively.

Dr Nausherwan Burki is a cousin of Prime Minister Imran Khan and is based in the US but he had remained associated with the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital in the past. Dr Faisal Sultan is the hospital’s chief executive.

Both held the same positions in the BoGs in the past but were removed when Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Mian Saqib Nisar took notice of the poor health services at the major public sector hospitals and dissolved all the boards of governors.

Dr Aasim Yousaf was part of the previous BoG in Abbottabad. When former chief minister Pervez Khattak fired some of the BoG members, including its chairman Javed Panni for poor performance and got them replaced, Dr Aasim Yousaf allegedly used his influence to convene the BoG meeting at Banigala, the residence of Imran Khan, and became its chairman.

“He was very keen to become chairman of the board last time also and used all his connections but failed after the media highlighted his ambitions. This time Dr Nausherwan Burki carefully selected the board members so Dr Aasim Yousaf won’t have to face resistance in becoming the BoG chairman,” a senior official at the provincial Health Department told The News.

Pleading anonymity, he said the former chief minister had made up his mind to fire Dr Aasim Yousaf also when he removed some of the BoG members on the basis of poor performance. However, he was helpless to do so because Dr Aasim Yousaf belonged to the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital even though he was part of decisions made by the previous BoG of the Ayub Medical Teaching Institution, Abbottabad.

“This is something serious. The PTI leadership and particularly Imran Khan should have taken notice as to why he was keen to become chairman BoG,” said a former faculty member who served in the previous BoG.

When contacted by phone, Dr Aasim Yousaf refused to comment on the issue.

Under the chairmanship of Dr Aasi Yousaf, the BoG of the Ayub Medical Teaching Institution Abbottabad in its first meeting on Tuesday made certain decisions to bring changes at the managerial level. Dr Athar Lodhi, director of institution-based private practice at the hospital was appointed Hospital Director while Dr Ahsan Aurangzeb, professor of neurosurgery was made Medical Director and Dr Umer Farooq, professor of community medicine, as Dean of Ayub Medical College.

The newly formed BOG for Ayub Medical Teaching Institution, Abbottabad also includes Major General Amjad Faheem, Junaid Mushtaq Qureshi, Ahmed Siraj, Dr Ejaz Khan and Aamir Mehmood.