Move to turn Islamabad hospitals into MTIs on cards

Islamabad : If things go as planned, the National Health Services Ministry will turn the federal capital’s two major government hospitals, including Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences and Polyclinic, into medical teaching institutions (MTIs) this month through a presidential ordinance.

The hospital sources told ‘The News’ that the ordinance for MTI Reforms Act, the brainchild of US-based Dr Nausherwan Burki, the cousin of PM Imran Khan, had been drafted and it would be sent to the president in a week or two for signature required for promulgation.

They said the ordinance would require parliament’s consent within the maximum 240 days for enforcement as law and if that didn’t happen, then the ordinance would cease to be effective.

The sources claimed that the current hospital employees would have two options either to accept positions in MTI on deputation or work under juniors in the new administrative setup. They added that the medical officers recruited through the Federal Public Service Commission lately would become contractual employees in MTIs.

The sources said the health ministry would manage MTIs through their respective handpicked boards of governors.

They said the recent removal of the PIMS and Polyclinic executive directors was part of the MTI law enforcement plans. The employees of the two hospitals have already rejected the proposed reforms and warned that they would agitate if the government went ahead with the plans, which would deny them job security.