PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan has threatened to stage sit-in against those ‘few unhappy doctors and management’ of the main teaching hospitals of the provincial capital who are a hurdle in the way of implementation of health reforms agenda of the provincial government.

“We are unable to implement reforms and bring change in healthcare system due to few unhappy doctors,” Imran Khan told a press conference after presiding over a meeting of the government officials and ministers here on Tuesday to know as to why the PTI-led provincial government, voted to power for promising change in health and education sectors, was unable to do it so far.

The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief termed the elements opposing health reforms as ‘mafia’ and warned that they might have taken stay from court but Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf activists would hold protests outside their homes for depriving people of a reformed health system.

The PTI chairman looked unhappy while talking about the elements, who resisted the biometric system. He said that 33 per cent health workers attended hospitals for five hours and 27 per cent of the staffers were on duty for only four hours while 22 per cent performed duty for only three hours out of the six working hours.

PTI chief says his party workers will hold protests outside their homes for depriving people of a reformed health system

Whereas, 17 per cent only came for two hours and seven per cent staff only worked for one hour out of the six working hours, he added. He said that the department had initiated action against those, who remained absent.

Mr Khan compared Lady Reading Hospital with Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital, Peshawar. He said that Rs7 billion was spent on a building being constructed for the last seven years in LRH whereas state of the art SKCH Peshawar was constructed by spending only Rs3 billion that would be inaugurated on December 29.

The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief said that government could not run hospitals properly that’s why it passed a law in January to award autonomous status to the hospitals. The Board of Governors comprising experts would be empowered to implement reforms in the hospitals, he added.

He said that he would fight against the elements due to which Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf could not implement what it promised with the people of the province.

Mr Khan said that government figures showed that around 10 million patients across the province visited government hospitals but the ‘inhuman ‘ elements, who had private hospitals and worked like money making machines, did not want the government hospitals to reform and serve people.

The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief, who was already decrying the failure of government in implementing health reform agenda as promised in the province, was seriously offended when an electronic media reporter asked a question about his recent divorce. Mr Khan shut him up for being discourteous.

He also said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would be the first province where some 270 million trees were planted successfully. He said that there were two forests in Dera Ismail Khan which were equal to the size of Changa Manga.

Published in Dawn, November 4th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play