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Friday March 29, 2024

Teaching hospitals to now have own boards

By M. Waqar Bhatti
June 04, 2016

Governor promulgates ordinance over difficulties in managing affairs of medical institutes; each board to comprise 10 official and non-official members

Karachi

An ordinance empowering teaching hospitals to form autonomous management boards to run their affairs was promulgated by the Sindh Governor on Friday.

The ordinance approved, by Governor Ishratul Ebad, was drafted on the request of former provincial secretary health Saeed Ahmed Mangnejo after an upsurge in complaints pertaining to managing institutes which had acquired the status of medical colleges and universities since most of the teaching staff was not willing to serve at the affiliated hospitals.

With the assembly not in session, the ordinance was promulgated by the Sindh Governor by the power conferred upon him under article 128 of the constitution. The summary forwarded to the Governor by the CM maintained that the matter would be tabled in the assembly when it resumes session. The draft of the evidence was approved by the CM on advice of Law Secretary.

As per the order, a board would comprise 10 members including a chairperson, provincial secretary health, medical superintendent of the concerned teaching hospital, vice chancellor, commissioner of the division or deputy commissioner of the district and mayor of the municipal corporation or chairperson of the municipal committee.

Of the total members, five would be non-officials, belonging to the civil society, philanthropists, distinguished businessmen, representatives of NGOs and retired health officials.

The ordinance further maintains that the medical superintendent of the teaching hospital would be the board’s secretary, while approving policies and programmes of the institute would solely be the managing board’s responsibility.

The annual development and non-development budget of teaching hospitals would also be approved by the board; admission fee, clinical and procedural services and facilities would also be determined by the board.

The ordinance also empowers the board to generate its own resources through grants, donations and other such means.

Medical superintendent of the teaching hospital would serve as the institute’s head, while a chief finance officer would be appointed by the provincial government.

An individual fund to meet the expenses of the board members would also be established. The budget for the fund would be allocated by the government in annual budget, grants from federal, provincial and local governments, income generated from investment of the board and sums and properties payable to the board. Mangnejo claimed that due to dual administrations of the teaching hospitals, it was getting increasingly difficult for the health department to manage the institutes.

Civil Hospital’s ex-medical superintendent and a faculty member at DUHS, Prof Saeed Qureshi, welcomed the ordinance. He said the establishment of independent boards was a much needed initiative. “The boards must have the financial powers to smoothly run the teaching hospitals and provide better healthcare facilities to patients.”