Doctors, paramedics observe countrywide strike against MTI Act

ISLAMABAD (91 News) – On the call of the All Pakistan Grand Health Alliance, doctors and paramedics observed a strike against the Medical Teaching Institutes (MTI) Act on Saturday. In Islamabad, doctors observed a strike in OPD at PIMS. Patients chanted slogans against the doctors. Doctors and paramedics closed the laboratories for the second day in Faisalabad. In Peshawar, all three hospitals remained closed due to the strike. Citizens and patients, especially who are suffering from dengue fever, are facing problems due to the strike. Under the Punjab Medical Teaching Institutions (Reforms) Ordinance 2019 drafted on the pattern of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s MTI Act, the government hospitals will be run by fully empowered Board of Governors (BoGs) which will consist of all members from the private sector. The BoGs shall also have powers for the appointment of admin officials on key slots and appointment of senior faculty members. The post of principal shall be converted into Dean who shall be appointed by the BoG for a period of five years. Similarly, there will be a management committee for each hospital, consisting of a hospital director, medical director, nursing and finance directors and two members nominated by the BoG. Headed by Dean, the Management Committee will have powers to terminate any and all the employees of the institution in accordance with the rules and regulations framed under the Ordinance. At present, almost all the teaching hospitals of the SH&MED Punjab are functioning under the Board of Managements (BoMs) formed under the PMHI Act 2003. After the enforcement of the new ordinance, the BoGs would be established to run the government hospitals. The chief minister would constitute and notify a search and nomination committee for recommendations of persons from the private sector suitable to be appointed as members of the Board and members of the Policy Board. The members will comprise of secretary to the specialized healthcare and medical education department, vice-chancellor of the university, a philanthropist, a retired senior person from medical profession and a representative of civil society.