KP govt notifies BoG members for nine medical institutions

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Saturday notified members of the Board of Governors (BoGs) of nine medical teaching institutions with some having close affiliation with different religious and political parties.
The previous caretaker government had removed some members of the Board of Governors of different hospitals and Policy Board but the present one replaced almost all members of the BoGs.
The government has been unable to appoint members of the Policy Board. Three of the previous members were replaced by Prof Dr Ziaul Islam, Dr Hafeezullah and Dr Azar Rasheed.
The Policy Board held only one meeting under its chairman Prof Ziaul Islam in which other members did not participate. The previous members of the Policy Board were competent people in their respective professions. Prof Dr Nausherwan Burki headed the Policy Board.
Some BoGs completed their tenure and were replaced.
Dr Nausherwan Burki, the architect of health reforms in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, never gave in to political pressure in the selection of members of the hospital boards with the exception of Nowshera and Dera Ismail Khan where Burki and former health minister Taimur Khan Jhagra were helpless before Pervez Khattak and Ali Amin Gandapur.
Pervez Khattak used to appoint members of the BoG for the Qazi Hussain Ahmad Medical Complex and its medical college, Nowshera Medical College, while Ali Amin Gandapur would select the BoG members and other staff members for the hospital and its Gomal Medical College in his native town.
Apparently, due to political interference and lack of merit, services in those two hospitals could not be improved despite spending billions.
Ghulam Qadir Khan, a former health secretary, was appointed as chairman of the Board of Governors of Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC) Peshawar.
Prof Mahfooz Hussain, ophthalmologist, Akhtar Naveed, Dil Roz, ex-head of the Chief Minister’s Complaint Cell, and Dr Mohammad Ali Chohan, former DHO Peshawar, were appointed as members of the BoG of HMC.
Malik Mushtaq Ahmad Dar was appointed as chairman of the BoG of Mufti Mehmood Memorial Teaching Hospital Dera Ismail Khan. Other members of the board include Dr Mohammad Iqbal, Khalid Mehmood, Saminulah Khan, Musa Khan and Essa Khan.
Prof Dr Ejaz Hasan Khan, former principal of Khyber Medical College (KMC) and vice-chancellor of Gandhara University Peshawar would lead the Bacha Khan Medical Complex (BKMC) and its medical college, Gajju Khan Medical College (GKMC) as chairman of the board.
Other members of the board include Prof Mohammad Ishaq Khattak, Prof Sajjad Mohammad Khan, Sher Bahadur Khan, Mohammad Irfan, and Prof Noor Jehan.
Damsaz Khan was appointed as chairman of the Board of Governors of Khalifa Gul Nawaz Teaching Hospital and its affiliated Bannu Medical College. Malik Niamatullah Khan, Abidullah Khan, Dr Mohammad Hashim, and Attaullah Khan are the other members.
Former chief executive of the Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH) Dr Umar Ayub Khan was appointed as chairman of the BoG of KTH.
Other members of the BoG were Mir Yaqoob Khan, Prof Dr Tahir Ali Khan, Gohar Zaman, and Qari Abdur Rauf Madni.
Prof. Dr Khalid Anwar Khan Khanzada and Asadullah Chamkani were appointed as members of the BoG of Lady Reading Hospital (LRH), Peshawar. Prof Dr Zubair Khan has already been appointed as chairman of the LRH BoG.
Cardiologist Prof Dr Mohammad Hafeezullah was appointed as chairman of the BoG of Peshawar Institute of Cardiology (PIC) Peshawar.
Dr Hafeezullah was the project director of PIC and Khyber Medical University for more than 12 years. He, however, couldn’t complete it and was removed by the previous PTI government.
He used to be one of the influential doctors in KP and held important positions in the past. Dr Hafeezullah has now regained his lost ground and was chairman of the BoG of Peshawar Institute of Cardiology, chairman College of Physicians and Surgeons (CPSP), member Task Force, member of universities graduate committee, member sehat card committee, and member of the Policy Board.
Other members of the PIC board consist of Mohammad Anees, Justice (retd) Sahibzada Khursheed Ahmad, Asad Akbar, and Abdus Siddique, most of them stated to be neighbours of Dr Hafeezullah.
For director general Health Services, Dr Mohammad Arshad Khan was appointed as chairman of the Board of Governors of Mardan Medical Complex (MMC) Mardan.
Misal Khan, S.A Shakeel, Pir Waheed, Arif Khan, and ophthalmologist and former medical director MMC, Prof Dr Zia Mohammad will work as members of the same board.
Javaid Ahmad Turk was appointed chairman of the Board of Governors of Ayub Teaching Hospital and Ayub Medical College Abbottabad.
Fawad Saleh, Asad Jadoon, and Jaffar Hussain Shah will work with him as members of the board.