ISLAMABAD: Lawmakers on Thursday reached the committee room of Parliament House to attend a meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on National Health Services (NHS) without reading the bill on which they had to give their input.

The chairman of the committee, Dr Mohammad Afzal Khan Dhandla, decided to constitute a subcommittee and directed it to discuss the bill within a fortnight and submit a report.

The committee had to discuss the “Infectious Disease Monitoring and Control Centre Bill 2022” moved by MNA Dr Samina Matloob, who is also member of the committee. The mover asked the members if anyone of them had read the bill. However, none of them said they had gone through the bill. She said if no one had gone through the bill, how they could discuss it.

The chairman suggested constituting a subcommittee. It was decided that the committee headed by Nisar Ahmad Cheema will discuss the bill and will submit a report in a fortnight.

Earlier, the committee expressed displeasure over the attitude of bureaucracy for not taking the parliamentary business seriously. The committee unanimously decided to proceed against those officers/heads of organisations who will be absent from its meetings in future without any cogent reason.

The committee observed that healthcare institutions were not effectively serving the public residing in the federal capital. The ministry was asked to ensure provision of healthcare facilities in public sector hospitals and presence of doctors and specialists during duty hours. The members also expressed displeasure over non-implementation of recommendations of the the standing committee made in its previous meeting regarding action against the registrar and repatriation of the assistant registrar Pakistan Nursing Council (PNC) for their defiance towards the president of the council and illegalities in carrying out official business of the council.

The committee recommended immediate compliance of its recommendation. It also directed the secretary of the ministry to brief the members about the reconstitution of the PNC after passage of the recently enacted PNC law. The secretary stated that the federal ombudsman for harassment at workplace had restrained the ministry from taking any action against the assistant registrar.

He said a search committee had been constituted for employing officers in the PNC and on its recommendations the process of recruitment was in process. The committee also expressed its displeasure on the absence of the president and secretary of the Pakistan Pharmacy Council from the meeting.

It directed that departments should be represented by senior officers as required under the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly 2007.

The committee later directed the ministry to ensure payment of Covid-19 risk alliance to non-clinical staff of hospitals in Islamabad as announced by the government. The secretary health told the meeting that the ministry will ensure the payment.

The meeting was attended by Minister of State for NHS Dr Mahesh Kumar Malani, MNAs Nisar Ahmad Cheema, Dr Samina Matloob, Zahra Wadood Fatehmi, Dr Darshan, Dr Zulfiqar Ali Bhatti, Shamsun Nisa, Dr Shazia Sobia Aslam Soomro, James Iqbal and others.

Published in Dawn, May 19th, 2023