MTI Reforms Act: Better treatment facilities still a pipe dream at govt hospitals

PESHAWAR: Though the government introduced the Medical and Teaching Institutions (MTI) Reforms Act to provide better treatment to patients at the government-run hospitals, making the system work for the benefit of the poor patients at some hospitals is still a pipe dream.

Muhammad Inayat whose 19-year-old nephew Rehman suffered head injuries in an accident and was taken to the Hayatabad Medical Complex for treatment complained that his family suffered mental agony due to the alleged indifferent attitude of doctors at the hospital.

He said the doctors admitted the patient and told the family that the surgery would be performed next week. However, after a week the family was told that the surgery had been postponed to the next week.

Inayat said that the patient was writhing in pain but the doctors postponed the surgery which left his parents worried for his life as his skin was getting darker. He said the family pleaded to the hospital staff for urgent surgery. “Our pleas did not work and we were forced to leave the hospital,” he said.

The man claimed that some staff members at the hospital referred the family to a private hospital where they were told that the surgery would cost Rs700,000. “We were even told that our senior doctor had a clinic near Lady Reading Hospital where the patient could be operated upon and treated,” Muhammad Inayat claimed.

He claimed that the family still had the visiting card of the clinic where the hospital staff wanted them to go for surgery. The man said the family could not afford private treatment and went to PIMS in Islamabad where their patient was receiving treatment under the Sehat Sahulat Package.

Muhammad Inayat said that they were poor people and their patient should have been treated in Peshawar instead of compelling them to go to Islamabad for treatment. When approached, Medical Director Dr Shahzad Akbar said that the hospital had a zero-tolerance policy for running clinics while participating in the IBP. “Being involved in IBP and running private a clinic is a violation of the MTI Act and anyone found guilty could lose his job,” he added.

He said that patient should have got registered a complaint against the staff and action would have been taken against them if the allegation were proved. “The hospital removed a senior doctor for violating the MTI Act in the past,” he said.

However, he said, to give a fair chance to everyone both parties should be heard. “We will have to look at the circumstances after seeing the file of the patient,” he said, adding that some times patient was not fit for surgery and the doctor had to postpone it for his wellbeing.

He said the reason for rescheduling the surgery was explained to a patient when he registered a formal complaint. Dr Shahzad Akbar said that if it was proved that the hospital was at fault, “then the law will take its course and disciplinary action would be taken.”

He said possessing the visiting card of a doctor’s clinic was itself proof. However, it would be checked whether the visiting card was a recent one. If the details came at my end, they will be investigated and in case of violation, strict action would be taken, he added.