KP hospitals short of doctors, assembly told

PESHAWAR: The shortage of doctors in government hospitals echoed in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Tuesday as the members asked for availability of medical staff at health facilities.

To a question by Khushdil Khan of Awami National Party (ANP), the House was informed that many vacancies of doctors and other medical staff were lying vacant particularly in the remote districts like Tank, Dir, Chitral, Karak and Kohistan.

In Tank, 70 of the 120 seats of doctors were lying vacant while out of the total 47 seats of nurses, 22 were vacant and 38 seats of paramedics were also vacant.

Shagufta Malik of ANP said she visited Hangu where female patients complained about shortage of doctors as they were facing hardships in treatment.

Mian Nisar Gul of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUIF) complained that in Karak, 132 seats out of total 153 were vacant while out of the total 183 seats of nurses, 43 were vacant. He said 149 seats of paramedics were also lying vacant.

In his reply, Minister for Health Taimur Salim Jhagra admitted that there was shortage of doctors in the far-flung areas as they were reluctant to work in remote areas.

He said whenever a doctor was transferred to the periphery he/she started efforts to be transferred to urban localities. He said the government was trying to make the transfer/posting system transparent and make sure the availability of medical staff in remote areas.

E-transfer system has been introduced and those seeking transfer out of Peshawar were processed immediately, he said, adding MS and DHOs had been authorised to appoint doctors or nurses on contract. He said the health professional allowance had been increased for those serving in remote districts.

He said recruitment of doctors on a permanent basis was also taking place, adding that about 300 doctors were recently recruited and the department had been directed to write to the Public Service Commission for recruitment of doctors.

Similarly, 58 health units were being outsourced through the Public-Private Partnership programme, he informed the House, adding that it was not privatization but an alternative mode to run government hospitals.

However, Inayatullah Khan of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) said provision of free health services to the public was the state’s responsibility and marginalized segments of the society would be deprived of free services after the investment from the private sector. He questioned why PPHI was reversed if the government was going towards outsourcing of health units.

Questioning the public-private partnership, Khushdil Khan said provision of free health services was the responsibility of the state and the government should improve delivery of services in the public sector instead of privatizing the health and education system.

Ikhtiar Wali Khan of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) complained that locals were ignored in the recruitment of class-IV employees in Qazi Hussain Ahmad Medical Complex.

He said the list of 215 people recruited in the hospital did not have ten percent locals.

He said this could lead to law and order issues as the people would take to the streets if the issue was not resolved.

The House admitted the adjournment motion of Ikhtiar Wali to discuss dengue fever cases before the Chair adjourned the session until Monday, September 26 for lack of quorum.