PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Thursday directed the Federal Investigation Agency and KP Health Care Commission to launch a vigorous campaign against quacks and those with fake MBBS degrees without delay for playing havoc with the health of the people.

A bench consisting of Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan and Justice Ijaz Anwar Khan observed that it was unfortunate that the court had to take notice of such issues due to the indifference of the relevant departments.

HCC director (operation) Wilayat Shah also informed the court that the search committee had completed work for the formation of the commission’s board of governors, while a summary on the matter had been sent to the chief minister’s secretariat.

The bench observed that the BoG, the major decision-making body of the commission, had been non-functional since Nov last year, so the court had to intervene and ordered for the new commission’s early formation. It was hearing two petitions related to health issues.

Regrets apathy of authorities towards issue

One of the petitions has been filed by Kohat resident Mohammadullah Khan against the alleged illegal transplantation of a kidney to his uncle, Haji Habib Khan, by a group including some doctors for Rs2.55 million. The patient had died within two days of the illegal transplantation.

The petitioner’s counsel, Malik Ajmal Khan, has requested the court to direct the FIA and HCC to take legal action against all culpable people and conduct a high-level inquiry against all those involved in the illegal organ trade.

The second petition is about the contempt of court. Filed by Advocate Saifullah Muhib Kakakhel, it requested the high court to order action against the HCC chief executive and high-ups of the health department over the non-uniformity in the rates of the health facilities, including laboratories and clinics, in accordance with an earlier order of the court.

Saifullah said in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic, the judgment of the high court delivered on Nov 13, 2019, had assumed importance as the HCC and health department had so far not complied with it as far as the fixation of the rates for different health facilities and bringing uniformity in rates were concerned.

Additional advocate general Syed Sikander Hayat, deputy attorney general Amir Jawed, HCC director (operation) Syed Wilayat Shah and FIA inspector Mohammad Waqar appeared before the bench on Wednesday.

The bench observed that besides quacks, the people with fake MBBS degrees were also reportedly running health facilities.

It added that it was in the domain of the FIA to act against those cheating people in the name of the provision of health facilities.

Amir Jawed informed the court that a few days ago, the FIA had arrested an impersonator running a health facility and conducting ultrasound tests in Mardan. He added that an FIR was registered against him.

When asked by the bench, inspector Waqar said the FIA was taking action on the matter in other cities as well.

The bench fixed Nov 4 for the next hearing into the cases asking the FIA regional director to appear before it on that date. It also observed that the HCC BoG should submit its response to the two petitions soon after its formation.

Published in Dawn, October 2nd, 2020