GHA plans response to PM’s remarks

Islamabad : The Federal Grand Health Alliance (FGHA) has called a press briefing today (Wednesday) in the grounds of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) to respond to Prime Minister Imran Khan’s statement about why hospital reforms are so direly needed to bring about an improvement in the standard of medical care for the rich and poor alike.

“We will get the Medical Teaching Institutions (MTI) Ordinance reverted by forging ahead with unity,” the Chairman of FGHA Dr. Asfandyar Khan reiterated, inviting all print and electronic media to reach the PIMS grounds at 11 a.m. for a response to the PM’s statement.

The Prime Minister Wednesday emphasized the need for government hospitals to function just as efficiently as private hospitals. He dismissed the notion of any hospital being privatized and clarified that the intention is to place the functioning of government hospitals under Boards of Governors so that the same management ethos that is followed in private hospitals to improve quality of care, should be practiced in public hospitals as well.

The PM maintained that private hospitals are successful because they follow a system of punishment and reward; the absence of this system in government hospitals has led to their denegation. He said, doctors and nurses who serve with commitment and who provide quality care deserve promotion and increase in salary as against those who do not perform their duties as diligently. The PM said, the government’s vision is to ensure that government hospitals offer best possible treatment to the poor.

Earlier on, Senator Usman Kakar of Pakhtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party addressed the protesting employees of PIMS. “We will oppose the privatization of PIMS at every forum, and will accompany you in your protest, be it at Bani Gala, D Chowk, or the PM House,” he stated.

The crowd was also addressed by representatives of government organizations that are supporting the PIMS protest.