IHRA gets acting head

Islamabad: Owais Gulshan has been appointed as the acting CEO of the Islamabad Healthcare Regulatory Authority (IHRA).

He will hold the key position until a permanent appointment is made. The national health services ministry has given Owais Gulshan, the deputy director (registration) at IHRA, the temporary charge of the top office of the regulator despite the availability of other candidates, according to officials.

They added that interviews for the permanent IHRA CEO were held last month, with over two dozen candidates considered. The officials said Dr Khalid Masood, a Grade 19 employee at the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa health department and a former hospital director at PIMS Islamabad, was the front-runner for the role, but the ministry was reluctant to appoint him.

The position fell vacant after CEO of IHRA Dr. Quaid Saeed retired last month.

Under the law, IHRA is responsible for maintaining a register of all healthcare establishments, setting standards for registration and licensing of healthcare establishments, registering all healthcare establishments, health professionals and equipment, and issuing licences for defining the scope and extent of healthcare services to be provided by healthcare establishments. It is tasked with regulating healthcare establishments in accordance with minimum service delivery standards and notified practices, prepare and issue notified practices as a guiding document for service provision in healthcare establishments, and inquire and investigate into violation of any of the provisions of the law by any healthcare facility.