Judgement reserved on dispensers’ plea

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday reserved the judgment on a petition seeking permission for qualified dispensers of public hospitals to run their private clinics on account of the shortage of doctors.
The petition was filed by Punjab Association of Dispensers through its secretary, Ghaus Muhammad, submitting that the Dispensers Act 1962 and the Dispensers Act 1968 permitted the qualified dispensers, with 4-year diploma certificates, to run clinics. During the case hearing, Justice Farrukh Arfan observed, “A dispenser could not be declared a doctor even if he had been doing his clinical practice for the last 40 years or whatsoever experience he has got from his medical practice.” The judge also remarked that it was a responsibility of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) to curb the unlawful clinical practice by dispensers in the last 40 years but the PMDC had fallen short of fulfilling its obligations.
Giving the version of the Punjab government, Assistant Advocate General Waqas Dar said that the dispensers could not be permitted to run their clinics since the Punjab Health Commission has been established and the summary has been moved to the chief minister to abolish the Punjab Health Acts of 1962 and 1968, which had allowed the dispensers to do clinical practice. However the petitioner’s counsel prayed the court permit dispensers to open clinics because they have received 4-year diplomas after long study of medicine and they were able to run clinics.
Meanwhile, Young Doctors Association Joint Secretary Dr Salman Kazmi and Family Physician Association President Dr Tariq Mehmood Mian and Dr Aftab Iqbal also appeared before the court and said that in the Health Care Act 2010, PMDC, Homeopathic Council, Teeb Council and Nursing Council have been described as ‘health service providers’, while dispensers were not named as health providers in the act. The judge reserved the judgment on the petition after hearing arguments from all parties.
Meanwhile, Family Physician Association President Dr Tariq filed a petition in the LHC for court directions to repeal Dispensers Act of 1962 and 1968, pleading that the two laws had been misused by the dispensers. Justice Umer Ata Bandial will hear this petition.
LHC seeks report from OGRA: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday sought a report from the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) till February 28 on a petition for crackdown against sub-standard CNG cylinders manufacturers who were responsible for the deaths of people killed in blasts in vehicles.
Justice Umar Ata Bandial was hearing the petition filed by the Rana Mehtab advocate in which he had impleaded the Punjab chief secretary, secretary to the chief minister, Punjab Transport Authority chairman, Punjab Police inspector general, federal petroleum minister and the Explosives and Hydrocarbon Development Institute of Pakistan chief inspector on failing to have checks on the low-quality cylinders in vehicles.
Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Nasim Kashmiri told the court that OGRA has started taking action against the sub-standard cylinder manufacturers. The court, adjourning the hearing till February 28, sought a report from OGRA and directed the DAG to ensure compliance. The petitioner, referring to a newspaper report, submitted in his petition that 44 people had lost their lives within the last two weeks in explosions of CNG cylinders fitted in public transport vehicles.
He contended that the explosions were taking place due to sub-standard cylinders as there were 3.2 million vehicles using CNG and almost 35 percent of these cylinders were sub-standard. He pointed out that the installation of CNG cylinders by incompetent roadside mechanics was another factor contributing to the explosions of CNG cylinders. The counsel contended that the respondent departments were also guilty of negligence.
He pleaded the court that directions be issued to respondents for taking immediate action against sub-standard CNG cylinder manufacturers and sub-standard installation workshops.
The petitioner counsel also prayed that those responsible for the CNG cylinder explosions be punished and compensation be given to the victims’ families.