PTI-affiliated doctors throw weight behind health reforms in KP

PESHAWAR:  The Insaf Doctor Forum (IDF) on Thursday blamed a group of doctors for miseries of the poor patients by forcibly suspending health services at the public sector hospitals and announced full support to the health reforms introduced for the government-run health institutions.

Speaking at a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club, IDF office-bearers including Dr Kamran Khan, Dr Jawad Khan, Dr Mudhir Khan and Dr Obaid said that after a long time the government had introduced remarkable reforms at the public sector hospitals of the province aimed at replacing the outdated health delivery system and providing better services to the patients.

They said that majority of the doctors and health workers had endorsed the health reforms but a small group with vested interests had started opposition to the reforms as they were afraid that it would stop malpractices in the health institutions.

“The doctor community is very thankful to the present government of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf as it resisted all the mafias and introduced remarkable reforms in the medical and teaching institutions. It is first time in the history of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that majority of the senior and junior doctors as well as health workers have endorsed these reforms. However, there are some elements who are using these hospitals to promote personal interests are opposing the reforms,” said Dr Kamran Khan.

Before introducing health reforms, Dr Kamran said the government had held series of discussions with the doctors as they were the stakeholders and added their input in these reforms. Dr Jawad Khan said a group of doctors, some of them terminated from services years ago on efficiency charges, had used all means to stop reforms. “They even alleged that the government was privatizing the hospitals and was selling them to a private party.  The government is neither privatizing hospitals nor selling them but granted them full administrative and financial autonomy to better manage its affairs,” Dr Jawad said.

Dr Mudhir Khan said besides IDF, the Provincial Doctors Association (PDA),  Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA), Association of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House Officers had rejected the strike and supported reforms.