SHC orders PIA to provide medicines to its retired employees as per rules

The Sindh High Court (SHC) has directed the Pakistan International Airlines’s (PIA) competent authority to ensure provision of actual medicines as prescribed by the specialist/general cadre doctors to the retired employees of the national flag carrier and their families as per rules.

The high court warned the PIA that in case of failure to comply with the order, proceedings shall be initiated against the delinquents in terms of the Article 204 of the Constitution without providing further opportunity on the subject issue.

The direction came on a contempt-of-court application filed by retired PIA employee Javed Iqbal against non-compliance with court directives with regard to provision of medicines to him as prescribed by specialist/general cadre doctors.

The applicant had submitted that alleged contemnors of the PIA had wilfully disobeyed the court directives and failed to ensure the provision of actual medicines to him as prescribed by the specialist/general cadre doctors as per the rules.

The SHC asked an assistant attorney general with regard to non-compliance with court directives. The law officer submitted that a senior medical officer of the PIA had contacted the applicant for providing medicines to him but he did not respond.

He assured the court that the petitioner shall be provided required medicines at any time.

The applicant, however, refuted the stance of the PIA and submitted that the court order had not been complied with in letter and spirit. He asked the high court to initiate contempt of court proceedings against the alleged contemnors.

A division bench of the SHC comprising Justice Mohammad Iqbal Kalhoro and Justice Adnan-ul-Karim Memon after hearing the counsel observed that since the competent authority of the PIA had already been directed to ensure the provision of actual medicines as prescribed by the specialist/general cadre doctors to the retired employees of PIA, including the petitioner and his family, as per rules and in this regard, a statement had already been filed by a senior medical officer of the PIA, therefore, the court did not intend to go further on the listed applications in terms of the statement of medical officer.

The high court directed the competent authority of the PIA to comply with the directions contained in the order on October 12, 2021, in its letter and spirit, without fail.

The bench made it clear that in case of non-compliance, proceedings shall be initiated against the delinquents in terms of the Article 204 of the Constitution without providing further opportunity on the subject issue. The SHC directed its office to communicate the order to the chief executive officer of the PIA for compliance.

The applicant had submitted in his plea that he was a retired law officer of the PIA and was barely surviving on the pittance paid by the national flag carrier in the name of pension. He added that he and his family needed medicines to survive and specialist doctors on the PIA's panel had prescribed medicines to them, but the PIA had refused to accept the prescribed medicines, stating that they would provide better medicines to him than those prescribed by the specialist doctors. He sought enforcement of medical and passage facilities for himself and his family as per the rules.