Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday said the Medical Teaching Institutions (MTI) Act/Ordinance was not an attempt to privatise public sector hospitals but meant to “enable improved and modern management of public sector hospitals”.
The PM’s statement comes after the Punjab Medical Teaching Institutions (Reforms) Ordinance 2019 was promulgated this week.
In a post shared on Twitter, Prime Minister Imran clarified that the process was part of a public sector hospitals’ reform plan.
The MTI Act/Ordinance is to enable improved & modern management of public sector hospitals. This is NOT privatization but part of our public sector hospitals’ reform plan.The hospitals will remain Govt hospitals. Better managed hospitals will mean better facilities for patients.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) September 5, 2019
“The hospitals will remain government hospitals. Better managed hospitals will mean better facilities for patients,” he added.
The Punjab MTI (Reforms) Ordinance 2019, drafted on the pattern of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s MTI Act, was promulgated after the Punjab governor signed it on Monday with the approval of the premier.
Following the move, medical practitioners, opposition political parties and social circles decried the ordinance with associations of young doctors, nurses and paramedics pledging to resist the move. The PML-N had announced that it would take the issue to a court of law while PPP threatened to protest the move and raise the issue in the Punjab Assembly.
According to the MTI Ordinance, the government hospitals would be run by a fully empowered Board of Governors (BoGs) which would consist entirely of members from the private sector.
“The BoGs shall also have powers for the appointment of admin officials on key slots and appointment of senior faculty members. The post of principal shall be converted into Dean who shall be appointed by the BoG for a period of five years,” it stated.
Similarly, the document said, there would be a management committee for each hospital, consisting of a hospital director, medical director, nursing and finance directors and two members nominated by the BoG.
