PHC puts KP govt, hospital on notice in appointment case

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has put the provincial government and Board of Governors Medical Teaching Institute, Dera Ismail Khan, on notice in a writ petition seeking removal of the hospital director, allegedly appointed under pressure from a provincial minister in violation of merit.

A division bench consisting of Chief Justice Yahya Afridi and Justice Ikramullah Khan directed the respondents to submit reply and explain whether or not the appointment of Dr Karim Shah as hospital director was made on merit.

Four senior doctors of the Medical Teaching Institute Dera Ismail Khan, including Dr Muhammad Ashiq Saleem, Dr Shah Jehan Baloch, Dr Muhammad Islam Baloch and Dr Farakh Jamil, had challenged the appointment of hospital director through their lawyers Ghulam Mohyuddin Malik and Farooq Malik.

The doctors claimed in the writ petition that the hospital director was appointed on the directives of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) provincial Minister Ali Amin Gandapur. During the hearing, the lawyers submitted that the post of hospital director was advertised twice on August 6, 2016 and January 20, 2017.

The qualification for the post was recognised master’s degree in Hospital Management or Health Services Management or Public Administration or any other relevant equivalent management qualification.

Further qualification is seven-year experience at management level position in a major hospital, organisation or health institute. They said the petitioners being qualified persons applied for the post. They said the respondent Dr Karim Shah also applied for it.

Astonishingly, they said, the respondents appointed Dr Karim Shah despite the fact that he was not qualified for the post as he had only three-and-a-half year experience as medical superintendent and deputy medical superintendent.

Furthermore, the lawyers submitted that the petitioners had more than seven years of experience required for the post and were senior officers in PBS-20, while the appointed doctor was a retired civil servant from the Health Department in BPS-19.

The petitioners claimed that first interview for the post was held under the chairmanship of Brigadier (retd) Azam Khan who was directed by the high-ups to select Dr Karim Shah, but he declined to accommodate him and resigned.

The petitioners said the second interview was held on January 20, for which Khan Akbar Khan was posted chairman of selection committee and he appointed Dr Karim Shah as hospital director allegedly in violation of rules. They claimed the hospital director was appointed on the directives of Ali Amin Gandapur.

In the grounds to the petition, it was stated that the respondents had violated rules and regulations of the Medical Teaching Institution Act, 2015. It was submitted that out of seven members of the Board of Governors, three refused to approve the selection of Dr Karim Shah as hospital director.

The petitioners requested the court to set aside the appointment order issued on January 21, 2017. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government through chief secretary, secretary and DG Health Department and Board of Governors were made parties in the petition.