BoG members of three teaching hospitals to be replaced.

Byline: Ashfaq Yusufzai

PESHAWAR -- The government has decided to replace the members of the Board of Governors of three medical teaching institutions after the passage of Medical Teaching Institutions Reforms (Amendment) Bill 2020, according to officials.

They said that government was trying to remove the BoG of MTIs Nowshera, Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan for alleged violation of rules but failed to do so because of legal issues.

The previous provincial government of PTI enforced Medical Teaching Institutions Reforms Act in 2015 under which teaching hospitals were freed from the control of health department and boards of governors were formed to run their affairs.

The 10-member BoG, including seven members from private sector and three from government department, were nominated by search and nomination council headed by health minister for three years. However, there was no clarity about the removal of the BoG members.

The BoGs have unbridled financial and administrative powers to use the one-line budget according to the need of their institutions and make top appointments without any input from the health department.

Officials said that many amendments were made to the law from time to time but need for the latest amendment was felt following emergence of issues at the MTI-covered Nowshera Medical College/Qazi Hussain Ahmed Memorial complex, Mufti Mehmood Teaching Hospital DI Khan/Gomal Medical College and Khalifa Gul Nawaz Hospital/Bannu Medical College Bannu as government failed to take any action.

The government appointed members of BoG in eight MTIs on Oct 5, 2018. Despite attempts, the government could not remove the BoG members in three MTIs, prompting it to amend the law to pave way for their replacement, said officials.

The amendment empowers the government to de-notify MTIs and revert to the old system where health department could run them. It also authorises the government to change BoG of the MTIs anytime it wants.

Sources said that BoG at those MTIs would become the first victims of the newly-passed amendments to MTIRA. All those BoGs, sources said, enraged the government...