PHC seeks reply from KP govt over BHUs handover

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has directed the provincial government to submit a reply in seven days in a writ petition filed against the handover of the Basic Health Units (BHUs) in 17 districts and three agency hospitals to national and international non-government organisations in 2013.

A division bench comprising Justice Irshad Qaiser and Justice Syed Afsar Shah directed the additional advocate general, representing the provincial government, to ensure the reply within a week’s time.

The court also sought reply, before next hearing, from thenational and international NGOs, including Save the Children, Medecins Sans Frontieres, Caravan, Abaseen Health Foundation and URDO to submit replies in a petition challenging hand-over of the BHUs and agency hospitals to them.

The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, had challenged the hand-over of the BHUs in 17 districts and three agency hospitals to People’s Primary Healthcare Initiative (PPHI) besides several rural health centres to national and international NGOs through his lawyer Mohibullah Kakakhel.

In a petition, PMA KP President Dr Hussain Ahmad Haroon, requested the court to take notice of the matter as it amounted to privatisation of health infrastructure in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which was contrary to judgments of the superior courts.

The petitioner stated that BHUs in 17 districts and three agency hospitals had been handed over to the PPHI. He stated that the Health Department had given Timergara District Headquarters Hospital to an international NGO, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF).

He said a rural health centre at Nahqi area in Peshawar had been given to another NGO Abaseen Health Foundation three years back, whereas the health units in Battagram district were given under the control of an international NGO, Save the Children.

The petitioner stated that the BHUs and RHCs were public properties and national assets. He contended that the provincial government had declared functions of the Health Department as essential service therefore no health unit could be given in the control of private sector.