Funds allocated for transplantation regulatory authority, court told

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government submitted a summary in the Peshawar High Court about the allocation of funds for the functioning of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Medical Transplantation Regulatory Authority.

The Finance secretary submitted the summary through additional advocate general Syed Sikandar Shah. It said the government had allocated the funds for the functioning of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Medical Transplantation Regulatory Authority (KPMTRA). On previous hearing, a two-member bench comprising Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan and Justice Qalandar Ali had taken notice of the issue when an in-charge of the KPMTRA, Dr Asif, informed the court that due to lack of funds, the KPTRA was still non-functional and he had not hired the staff for the authority. The court then directed the Finance secretary and Health Department secretary to release funds to the KPMTRA. The court was hearing a writ petition filed by Hamdullah, a resident of Kohat, through his lawyer Malik Ajmal Khan. The petitioner had claimed that his uncle Habibullah Khan had a kidney transplant operation in a private hospital, but it was not successful even though the patient was charged a huge amount.

The court had directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to start a large-scale operation against the doctors and private hospitals involved in illegal business of kidney transplant in the province and submit the report. “Why is the FIA not taking action against the persons involved in illegal kidney transplant? We also don’t see the role of Medical Transplantation Regulatory Authority, established by the provincial government on the ground for taking action against the illegal kidney transplantation in the province,” Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan questioned the officials of FIA and provincial government who appeared in the case. During the hearing, Chief Executive Officer Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Healthcare Commission (KPHCC) Azar Sardar submitted the commission report about the crackdown against fake doctors and clinics illegally run in the province.

As per the report, the KPHCC had sealed 2263 clinics and substandard private hospitals in 2018. The commission had sealed 704 clinics, operation theatres in Peshawar, which were running against the law and lacked facilities. It also sealed 190 illegal clinics in Nowshera, 180 in Mardan, 104 in Charsadda, 145 in Swabi, 172 in Abbottabad, 161 in Haripur, 184 in Mansehra, 86 in Kohat, 98 in Dera Ismail Khan, 176 in Bannu and 63 in Swat.

He said the commission had registered 5469 clinics and private hospitals in the province and got revenue of Rs104, 821, 686. To the court’s query, he replied that the commission had shortage of field inspectors and summary for appointments of staff had been sent to the chief secretary.