PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Friday passed a short order in which it directed the government to free all doctors and paramedical staffers detained under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance against surety bonds worth Rs50,000 each and also to obtain written assurances of good conduct from them.
As per the contents of this order, health practitioners will also have to furnish an undertaking about resuming duties in their respective hospitals as well as provide two personal sureties before their release.
Police arrested 16 health practitioners in Peshawar on September 27.
During the hearing, the high court also ordered the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to investigate the alleged torture of doctors in Peshawar asked director-general of the FIA to submit a detailed inquiry report to the PHC deputy registrar within 14 days.
Additional Advocate General Qaiser Shah all apprised the court about the clashes that took place between police and protesting doctors. District administration imposed Section 144 within the hospital premises on the request of the Lady Reading Hospital officials, he added.
“The doctors weren’t protesting, they were only gather3ed on that day to discuss the course of action for future and police, without any inquiry into the matter, cracked down and started making arrests,” legal counsel of doctors argued.
On this, PHC Chief Justice Waqar Ahmed Saith replied that doctors also refused treatment to patients. However, the government’s attitude was also not professional to tackle this issue, he added.
“You did a grave injustice by torturing educated people,” he admonished the official.
According to the Regional and District Health Authorities Act, 2019
The regional authorities will have the power to:
- ensure that objectives set by Regional Health Authority (RHA) are achieved and oversee effective management and issue strategic directions to health facilities in the assigned region.
- approve budget of RHA and allocate funds to health facilities
- oversee health service delivery
- implement government policies and directions
- ensure that its programmes are effective and efficient
- ensure transparency
