(Publish from Houston Texas USA)
(Muhammad Mansoor Mumtaz, Lahore)
President of the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), Professor Shahid Malik, has expressed grave concern over the removal of principals of various medical colleges and medical superintendents of government hospitals.
He stated that shifting the blame of the poor and failed performance of the Chief Minister’s Inspection Team onto hospital administrations and doctors is completely unjustified.
Professor Shahid Malik strongly objected to the deployment of irrelevant, non-doctor individuals and graduates of general universities in teams assigned to monitor government hospitals. He pointed out that these teams lack knowledge of medicine procurement, drug availability, local purchase procedures, and even a basic understanding of hospital administrative systems.
He said that principals and medical superintendents are being removed on the basis of incorrect, superficial, and unprofessional reports prepared by these inexperienced teams. In some cases, hospital administrations are even being held responsible for issues such as the presence of stray dogs within hospital premises. A clear example of this is the removal of the Principal of Gujranwala Medical College by the Punjab Health Department.
The PMA President clarified that the issue of stray dogs is not the responsibility of any individual hospital or its principal but is a district-wide administrative and municipal matter. He stressed that responsibility lies with the Assistant Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner, not with doctors or hospital administrations.
Professor Shahid Malik demanded that the Chief Minister Punjab take immediate action against teams that are falsely reporting and placing the burden of administrative failures on doctors. He further called for the introduction of a transparent, fair, and fact-based monitoring system in government hospitals through experienced, relevant, and professional personnel.
