PMA vows to resist appointment of military officials as heads of federal hospitals

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) Islamabad in a hurriedly-called meeting on Sunday condemned a letter written by the federal health ministry for the appointment of serving military officials as executive directors for Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) and Federal Government Polyclinic Hospital (FGH), saying the federal health ministry should refrain from taking any such step.

Earlier in a letter being circulated on the social media, the Federal Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (NHS,R&C) had requested the Ministry of Defense to ensure availability of qualified and capable hospital managers of equivalent grade BPS 21 from the Pakistan Army Medical Corps as executive director PIMS and FGPC on deputation basis for a period of three years and until further orders under standard terms and conditions.

Responding to the letter, the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) Islamabad office-bearers Mian Rasheed, Dr Riaz Shahbaz Janjua, Dr Muhammad Ajmal, Dr Abid Saeed, Dr Umer Farooq, Dr Rana Farooq and others warned the federal Ministry of Health to refrain from asking military officials to run the public sector health institutions.

They said the appointment of military officials in lieu of the federal government officials is not acceptable at any cost, adding that even the military authorities would not welcome the step taken by the federal health ministry.

On the other hand, a spokesman for the federal health ministry had earlier stated that the appointment of heads of major public sector hospitals would be carried out as per recruitment rules, saying the government believes in appointments and recruitments on merit.

Urging the people not to heed on unverified information on the social media, the health ministry’s spokesman said the health ministry believes in providing better health facilities to masses through competent officials.