Health Care Commission functions come to halt as govt fails to hire staff.

Byline: Ashfaq Yusufzai

PESHAWAR -- The operations of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Care Commission have come to a complete halt as government has failed to hire staff before expiry of the contracts of its top administrative officers.

'Three-year contracts of high-ranking officers of HCC have ended with no replacement,' said official sources.

A letter by HCC chief executive officer Azaar Rashid said that expiry of contracts of three administrative officers would left the body without any executive authority to carry out its operations.

Expiry of contracts of officials leaves the commission without any executive authority

He requested the HCC chairman to advise on how to run the body, which would not be able to operate after end of service contracts of director operations and additional director monitoring and evaluation.

Mr Rashid said that both the officers completed their tenure last week. According to the letter, the chief executive officer pointed out that he was nearing end of his term on November 20 after which the commission would be left with no administrative officer to carry out the assigned duties.

It said that carrying out operations of HCC including registration, renewal and sealing and de-sealing of facilities wouldn't be possible. Complaints management, anti-quackery drives and court matters besides processing of salaries, payments, rents, POL, file processing etc will also not be carried out. The commission will virtually become redundant, leading towards tremendous crises.

Mr Rashid said that they weren't able to fulfil their responsibilities including action against illegal medical practitioners and diagnostic centres in the face of acute shortage of staff.

Three positions of directors and 11 posts of managers had been lying vacant since the commission became operational five years ago.

'There will be complete halt. There will be no operations. Process of salaries, payments, registration and renewal of the health facilities apart from basic work to seal, de-seal and...