LAHORE: The Board of Commissioners (BoC) of the Punjab Healthcare Commission (PHC) has unanimously elected senior leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), Dr Azeemuddin Zahid Lakhvi, as board chairperson.

Mr Lakhvi had contested elections for a National Assembly seat in Kasur in the July 25 general elections.

The election of a ruling party leader as chairperson of the supposedly independent BoC is seen by some as problematic, an official privy to the information told Dawn. The objective of this board is general superintendence, direction and management of the PHC. It is also responsible for providing strategic guidance and leadership to the commission.

He said the seven-member BoC of the PHC had been reconstituted a couple of weeks back on the directions of the Punjab government. Dr Lakhvi was one of its members besides senior journalist Hussain Naqi; former medical superintendent of Services Hospital, Dr Ijaz Bhatti; and retired Brig Dr Samina Rubab.

In its first meeting a couple of days ago, Mr Lakhvi replaced retired Justice Aamer Raza Khan as the new chairman after majority of the board members endorsed his selection. The official said that the BoC has called another meeting on Wednesday for the appointment of the first regular chief executive officer (CEO) of the PHC.

This top slot has been controversial since the establishment of the PHC under the PHC Act 2010. Under the Act, the PHC was to be headed by a retired government officer as the CEO, the official said. However, the regulatory body hit a snag for the first time when the PML-N government had appointed in 2011 then serving government officer, Dr Mohammad Ajmal Khan, as the first chief operating officer (COO) instead of the CEO.

The Shahbaz Sharif-led government had been facing strong criticism over appointing a serving official as head of the autonomous regulatory body in violation of its Act.

The issue was taken up in the board’s meeting a couple of days ago, which decided to fill the vacant slot of the CEO. The official said that if the incumbent regime appointed the new CEO in the presence of COO Dr Khan, the PHC may face another administrative and legal crisis because the COO enjoyed the same authorities as the CEO would under the PHC Act 2010.

The BoC would take a final decision in its upcoming meeting to advertise the post of the PHC chief and seek applications from interested candidates.

Published in Dawn, November 11th, 2018