Suspended Doctors to Be Reinstated Within 2-3 Days, PMA to Be Included in Health Security Act: Balochistan Health Minister
Quetta: Balochistan Health Minister Bakht Muhammad Kakar has assured the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) that all doctors suspended recently will be reinstated at their previous places of posting within the next two to three days.
A high-level delegation of the PMA Quetta Branch, led by its president Dr. Nadir Khan Achakzai, met with the health minister at his office on Friday. The meeting discussed challenges facing the provincial healthcare sector, issues confronting doctors, the administrative situation of teaching and tertiary-care hospitals, and measures to improve healthcare facilities for the public.
The delegation briefed the minister on administrative, professional, and service-related problems faced by doctors and presented PMA recommendations for their immediate and long-term resolution.
Minister Bakht Muhammad Kakar assured the delegation that all recently suspended doctors would be restored to their previous postings within two to three days to ensure continuity of medical services and address concerns among the medical community.
He further announced that the Pakistan Medical Association would be included as a key stakeholder in the Health Security Act being prepared by the provincial government. This would allow the medical community’s professional views, experience, and recommendations to be incorporated into the legislation.
The health minister also announced that the Semi-Autonomous Act would soon be implemented in the province’s tertiary-care hospitals, particularly Bolan Medical Hospital and Provincial Sandeman Civil Hospital. He said governing bodies established under the act would oversee the hospitals’ administrative, financial, and policy matters.
Under the proposed system, future recruitment, appointments, human resource management, institutional reforms, and other administrative affairs would be handled by the governing bodies. The objective, he said, was to protect hospitals from political and unnecessary administrative interference and establish an effective, transparent, and accountable management system.
Kakar reiterated that all legitimate demands and professional concerns of doctors would be addressed on a priority basis. He said the government considers the medical community a key pillar of the provincial healthcare system and would continue consultations with doctors and their representative organizations.
The minister also acknowledged that the meeting with the PMA should have taken place earlier and apologized for the delay, saying, “Better late than never.” He assured the delegation that regular consultations with the PMA and other medical representative bodies would be held in the future so that all relevant stakeholders could contribute to healthcare policymaking.
PMA Quetta Branch President Dr. Nadir Khan Achakzai welcomed the health minister’s positive approach and assurances. He said the PMA believes in constructive cooperation with the government in the best interests of patients, the dignity of doctors, and improvement of the provincial healthcare system.
Dr. Achakzai emphasized that sustainable reforms in the health sector would only be possible if representative organizations of doctors were formally involved in legislation, policymaking, and institutional decisions.
The health minister reiterated that the government would work jointly with the PMA, Young Doctors Association, medical teachers, and other healthcare organizations to improve the quality, effectiveness, and public-oriented nature of healthcare services in Balochistan.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Dr. Nadir Khan Achakzai and other members of the delegation thanked the health minister for the meeting, his positive approach, and the assurances provided. They expressed hope that the commitments made during the meeting would soon translate into practical measures and that mutual trust, cooperation, and consultation between the government and the medical community would continue.
