Doctors’ forum asks politicians to stop interfering in hospitals

PESHAWAR: The Insaf Doctors Forum (IDF) has demanded leaders of all the political parties to stop interference in administrative matters of the public sector hospitals. The IDF is an association of the public sector doctors affiliated with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

Talking to reporters on Sunday, IDF general secretary Dr Mudir Khan said all the institutions should function within limits and jurisdictions determined by the law. He complained that some elected members of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, especially the recently elected members of local government, were constantly interfering in routine administrative affairs of the hospitals.

Dr Mudir said that doctors, paramedics and nursing staff of the three tertiary care hospitals had been complaining about unnecessary interference and undue favour by some MPAs, nazims and councillors.

Besides them, he said majority of the non-elected political workers were also visiting the hospitals using references of their higher officials and demanding protocol and special attention. The IDF leader said some of the people come to the hospital with their armed men with an aim of showing power and spreading terror among the doctors and other supporting staff of the hospitals.

“We also received complaints about threats and abusive language by such elements against the doctors and other supporting staff during such visits. Most of these complaints have been received from the Hayatabad Medical Complex and Khyber Teaching Hospital,” Dr Mudir said.

He said the hospitals had been built for providing health services to patients in a professional and sympathetic manner, care based on dignity and equality. He said the care and treatment given to patients is based on the critical nature of the disease and not on their financial and social status.

The doctor said that majority of the recently-elected local government members belonging to all political parties were unaware of their responsibilities and jurisdictions and usually indulge in baseless arguments with doctors and threaten them with suspension from services.