ISLAMABAD: Private hospitals in the federal capital are operating without valid licences, charging arbitrary fees, and ignoring waste management rules, while postgraduate trainees at several institutions continue to work without stipends despite government policy mandating paid training. These revelations came during a meeting at Parliament House where legislators were told of widespread malpractice and neglect in Pakistan’s health system.
A sub-committee report presented by Dr. Amjad Ali Khan revealed how several private hospitals and laboratories in Islamabad were functioning without proper licences, while some IHRA board members themselves owned private setups—posing a clear conflict of interest.
Lawmakers directed the Ministry of Health to issue show-cause notices to all non-compliant facilities, empower IHRA to enforce licensing, and develop a framework to categorise healthcare services with standardised charges.
Equally disturbing were accounts of postgraduate medical trainees, particularly in FCPS and MCPS programmes, working unpaid. Appearing via video link, a university’s vice chancellor admitted that stipends were sometimes given on “recommendations,” prompting an angry response from the Chair, who ordered the institution to commit in writing to pay all trainees and submit records of stipend disbursements. CPSP officials confirmed that institutions refusing to pay stipends would face suspension of registration.
The committee also flagged gaps in the healthcare system, including the unavailability of essential emergency medicines such as morphine for cancer patients, inadequate response in flood-hit areas, and poor functioning of Basic Health Units (BHUs) and Rural Health Centres (RHCs) in Islamabad.
On the issue of foreign medical graduates, the committee was told that five Kyrgyz universities had been delisted after objections from both PMDC and the Foreign Office, with provisional certificates no longer being issued to their graduates. Even so, legislators recommended that affected students be allowed to sit for the National Registration Examination (NRE).
The Ministry and PMDC were given three days to provide a complete report of all foreign institutions recognised since 2020, along with legal clarifications and student data. Members accused private hospitals of overcharging, neglecting patients’ rights.
Concluding the proceedings, Dr. Mahesh Malani said the committee’s recommendations must be implemented in letter and spirit and warned that non-compliance would not be tolerated.
