ISLAMABAD: After exchange of heated arguments over repatriation of doctors from the capital hospitals to their respective provinces, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMP) Senator Usman Khan Kakar on Wednesday termed the behavior of National Health Services (NHS) secretary as contempt of the parliament.

However, NHS Secretary Dr Allah Baksh Malik, a BPS 22 officer, asked him that he was a senator not a parliament as an individual cannot be a parliament.

Both were participating in the meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on NHS, which was chaired by PML-N Senator Ghous Mohammad Khan Niazi.

During the meeting Senator Kakar started discussing the issue of repatriation of around 150 doctors from the public sector hospitals of federal capital to their respective hometowns hospitals.

Around 150 doctors from different areas of the country are working in Islamabad hospitals on deputation

“Doctors came on deputation to Islamabad from Balochistan, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), tribal districts and other areas decades ago, and were absorbed in hospitals. Now the NHS secretary has been trying to repatriate them despite the fact that courts have given a decision in their favour and the matter was referred to the Islamabad High Court which had reserved a decision over the issue,” he said.

Senator Kakar said a doctor of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) Dr Mutahir Shah from Balochistan has been leading the struggle of doctors against repatriation so not only was he suspended by the ministry but his entry in the ministry was also banned as, according to the ministry, he had forcibly copied orders regarding repatriation of doctors.

Mr Kakar said that Dr Shah was not being promoted in next grade as even during the tenure of PML-N, he used to fight for the rights of doctors.

During the discussion, the NHS secretary continuously tried to speak over the issue and said that Mr Kakar was telling a tale.

This led to heated argument between the two as Senator Kakar pointed at the NHS secretary and said that he was doing contempt of the parliament by intervening constantly.

Dr Malik also said that the matter regarding repatriation of doctors was in the court and any action in their favour or against should be taken after the court decision.

Talking to Dawn, Senator Kakar said the committee was part of the parliament and being a member he should be considered as a parliament because he was participating in the meeting of the committee.

The issue of employees on deputation was raised in Sindh almost a decade ago during the tenure of PPP government, as some officials of police went to Sindh High Court against the induction of favoured officers. They claimed that their seniority suffered because of that practice. Later, the Supreme Court took up the matter and directed all the officers (who came after 1994) to go back to their parent departments.

In 2016, once again the matter came into limelight as the Supreme Court asked the Capital Development Authority (CDA) that if it had powers to ignore the court orders. After that the CDA decided to send back all such officers to their parent departments.

Besides, a number of departments including National Assembly, Federal Police, National Food Security and others sent the employees on deputation back to their parent departments.

As around 150 doctors, deputed in hospitals of federal capital, also fall in the category so the issue of their repatriation also surfaced.

Since the capital hospitals were short of staff, the government though that their repatriation will create a crisis. Moreover, if it was decided to repatriate them, they would quit jobs and join private hospitals of teh federal capital.

The matter regarding allowing the non-MBBS faculty members to teach in medical colleges was also taken up at the meeting.

Dr Allah Baksh Malik said the matter was in his knowledge and non-MBBS teachers would not be allowed to teach in medical colleges.

Published in Dawn, February 13th, 2020