LAHORE: The process of privatising laboratories and radiology departments of public hospitals has begun in earnest against the companies’ ordinance 1984, which clearly disproves privatization of any public hospital.
According to sources in the first phase of privatisation, Ministry of Health has decided to hand over the services of General Hospital’s laboratory and radiology department to a private company from November 15.
It has also been learnt that the ministry aims to privatise laboratories of all teaching hospitals in the province and in doing so will upset at least 500 regular employees of these hospitals.
The ministry has already begun accumulating the data of all regular and contractual employees working in the various public hospital of the province, which can be seen as evidence of the ministry’s determination in going ahead with the privatization plan.
The employees of all the public hospitals especially General Hospital have shown their reservation and are worried about the current decision affecting their livelihood.
It is also important to note that 15 years ago an attempt by the provincial government to hand over the workings of a public hospital through a lease to a private company ended on a bad note, with the quality of healthcare facilities worsening for the patients.
