Daily Times

PESHAWAR: The much talked Healthcare Commission of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is yet to start work despite lapse of eighteen months as the provincial government failed to provide required funds to run the Commission.

The provincial government has passed the Health Care Commission Act 2015 and Medical Teaching Institution Act 2015 on the same day from the Provincial Assembly but the government give all the facilities to MTI while Healthcare Commission was totally ignored. The Commission was established with the aim to take action against illegal clinics and hospitals in collaboration with the district administration and to ensure availability of standard health facilities to the patients.

The commission has issued 1700 registration certificates whereas 4600 applications for registration have been received from health service providers. The Healthcare Commission has replaced the Health Regulation Authority, which was established in 2002 with the same functions but it failed to show any progress owing to non existence of rules and regulations.

The provincial government has approved a budget of Rs 15 million against Rs 2.23 billion demanded by the commission. Also, Rs 8 million was demanded as seed money to hire offices at the divisional level which was not yet given.

An official of the health care commission on the condition of anonymity said that there were around 64,000 employees of health department while 60% budget was utilized by the health department on its employees while only 40% budget was spend on public health care in the province.

He further said that the commission is recruiting divisional drug inspectors and would check outlets in collaboration with the district administration, police, members of civil society and elected local government representatives to file cases in the court of civil magistrate but there is no ground work.

HCC Board of Governors Chairman Dr Mohammad Zafar while talking to Daily Times said that they were hoping that the fund will be soon be released as they had promised by the government but still it was not received by the commission.

He further said that the role of Board of Governors was to overview the commission while practical work will be done by the chief executives, drug inspectors and other employees of the commission, adding that the commission has already selected the shortlisted candidates for the commission but until fund were received by the commission they can’t send them appointment letters.

“We have only eight drug inspectors and two officers in the commission while very small space for the office where work cannot be done smoothly” Dr. Zafar added. He informed this scribe that the commission has so far sealed more than 2000 illegal clinics and laboratories in Peshawar while more than 500 quacks have been arrested.

He further said that the aim of the commission was to provide best health care facilities to the public and stop the illegal business of medicines and other health facilities besides to take action against those mafias which playing with lives of people. He added that the government should take action to release the fund to the commission immediately so that it can work properly otherwise the aim for which the act was established it will not give any benefits to the people of the province.