PESHAWAR: Peshawar High Court(PHC) on Thursday stopped the health department from outsourcing government hospitals in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa(KP) and directed the Secretary Health to work for improvement within the existing setup.
The petitions filed against the outsourcing of underperforming government hospitals in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were heard by Justice Ijaz Anwar, and Justice Waqar Ahmed heard petitions. Additional Advocate General Fazal Mola, petitioners Aminur Rehman Yousafzai, Sangin Khan Advocate appeared in the court.
The court sought responses from the parties on the next hearing and ordered to hear other cases of this nature together. Petitioner Lawyer Aminur Rehman Advocate said that Londkhor (Type D) and Tathbhai Tehsil Hospital are being outsourced and are being handed over to a private company.
Justice Ijaz Anwar asked Additional Advocate General why hospitals are being outsourced. The Advocate General replied that outsourcing means that there will be 24-hour service, and this is being done for improvement.
Justice Ijaz Anwar asked what kind of method is this to bring improvement in government hospitals through outsourcing. If the Secretary and Director General of Health create such discipline, then everyone will come to work.
The Advocate General replied that the Secretary of Health was out of the country, and today there was a cabinet meeting, due to which other officers were also busy. Justice Ijaz Anwar said that it is not the way that when a patient comes to the hospital on Friday or Saturday, and no senior doctor is available in the hospital. Advocate Health Foundation said it was happening all over the world, and if government employees could not perform, then it could be improved through outsourcing.
The court ordered the submission of a response in detail and stopped the authorities from taking further action.
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