PESHAWAR: The search and nomination council has recommended to the government names of members of Boards of Governors (BoGs) for medical teaching institutions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

A summary has been sent to chief minister for approving names of additional members of BoGs for medical teaching institutions (MTIs) so that they could start taking decisions as per the law.

Currently, most of the MTIs have two to three members of BoGs but they need at least five members to take crucial decisions relating to promotions, appointments, procurements and issuing of tenders for purchase of medicines and equipments and non-pharmaceutical stuff.

For Peshawar-based MTIs, Qaisar Iqbal Rajput, Khalid Abdul Aziz and Dr Ghulam Siddique have been nominated as BoG members for Lady Reading Hospital; Dr Waqar Ajmal, Dr Wajid Ali and Javed Ihsan for Hayatabad Medical Complex; and Dr Abdul Hameed Afridi, Dr Shafqat Hassan, Dr Masood Sadiq and Syed Asif Shah for Peshawar Institute of Cardiology.

MTIs will be able to take important decisions after completion of boards

Five members including Dr Javed Khan, Shahab Khattak, Mohammad Murtaza Ali Shah, Dr Syed Irfan Kabir and Dr Mian Tahir Ali Shah have been nominated for MTI Nowshera where BoG is non-existent presently. For MTI Ayub Medical College and Abbottabad Teaching Hospital, Usman Ali, Javid Qaisar and Dr Gul Afshana Hafeez Khan have been nominated.

The council has sent names of Almas Fasih Khattak and Irfan Saleem Awan for MTI Swabi while Sikandar Hayat Khan, Ahsan Gilani, Prof Farmanullah and Shah Niaz Khan have been nominated as members of BoG for MTI Bannu. The names of Gul Malook Khan Advocate and Mohammad Hassan have been proposed for MTI Dera Ismail Khan.

The summary titled “appointment of members for MTI BoGs”, states that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Medical Teaching Institutions Reforms, (Amended) Act, (MTIRA) 2015, provides for autonomy to the government-owned MTIs and their affiliated hospitals to improve their performance, enhance effectiveness, efficiency and responsiveness for provision of quality healthcare services to people of the province.

It says that Section-5 of MTIRTA, 2015, provides for BoG, its membership (neither less than three nor not exceeding seven), recommending and approving authorities, qualifications and disqualifications. It says that that Section 8(1) of the Act, further provides for search and nomination council entrusted with the power to recommend persons from private sector to be appointed as members of BoGs of MTIs.

The meeting of search and nomination council was held last month that recommended names for appointment as members MTIs BoGs.

As for as the issue of the members of BOG of MTI Mardan Medical Complex (MMC) is concerned, cases of the petitioners appointed as members of BoGs by previous elected government in 2021-22 and removed by caretaker setup, who have not been reappointed or their tenure is to be expire shortly in the next year, have been sent to chief minister on the directive of Peshawar High Court for appropriate orders.

The chief minister has issued directions regarding restoration of the members of BoG of MTI Mardan for allowing them to complete their term of appointment in the light of PHC’s judgement.

Sources in MTIs told Dawn that they were waiting for appointment of additional members to complete BoGs. In many MTIs, employees were waiting for completion of BoGs so their promotions cases could be pursued.

Only in Khyber Teaching Hospital, 20 doctors have been awaiting their promotions from BPS-19 to BPS-20. Despite approval by departmental promotional committee, clinical board and academic council, their promotions are subject to BoG’s approval, which has been incomplete since April this year.

“Not only this, the hospital is required to fill more than 100 vacant positions, once its BoG starts functioning. Situation in other MTIs is more on the less the same,” said sources.

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2024