PESHAWAR: The staff of the outsourced hospitals in Kurram, Bajaur, South Waziristan and tribal Mohmand districts have been ready for his or her salaries from the previous one 12 months.
Trans-Continental Pharma (TCP) runs seven Class-D hospitals in Pashat and Nawagai in Bajaur; Darazinda in Dera Ismail Kham; Sholam and Toi Khula in South Waziristan; and Alizai in Kurrum tribal districts underneath public-private partnership.
Medical Emergency Resilience Basis (Merf) has additionally been going through scarcity of funds and the workers haven’t acquired salaries for the previous 20 months in Class-D hospital in Mohmand tribal district. It has been saying to relinquish cost of the hospital to well being division owing to monetary points.
Lately, the district well being officer of Mohmand wrote a letter to director-general well being providers (DGHS) that Merf had expressed incapacity to handle the hospital owing to lack of funds. Citing a letter of Merf, he mentioned that it had clearly acknowledged that with out clearance of its excellent liabilities of greater than Rs470 million, the organisation wouldn’t be capable to proceed providers on the hospital past June 30, 2024.
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The contract of Merf with Well being Basis (HF) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and DGHS had expired on June 30, 2023. One other organisation has already been awarded contract for operating the hospital however on account of non-existence of Board of Governors (BoG) at HF the hospital has not been handed over to the brand new companion. The BoG of HF is the approving authority within the province for outsourcing of hospitals underneath public-private partnership.
The DHO identified that it was the one Class-D hospital in Safi tehsil of Mohmand tribal district the place Merf had been offering high quality well being providers to folks since 2020. “In case of its exit on June 30, 2024, the power will probably be closed that may lead to sufferings of individuals,” he added.
He mentioned that with the prevailing human assets at district stage, well being division was not able to handle the hospital if the present companion organisation stopped operating the power. He mentioned that finance division could be approached by planning cell of well being division for clearance of the excellent liabilities and the present implementing companion could be directed to proceed well being supply providers until the awarding of contract to the brand new organisation.
“Alternately, the division ought to depute employees for the hospital to proceed uninterrupted well being providers to folks,” mentioned the Mohmand DHO within the letter. Senior medical doctors and workers have threatened to shut OPD of the hospital on Could 20 if their salaries usually are not paid. They mentioned that they might boycott emergency providers on Could 25 in case of non-payment of their dues in one-go.
Equally, employees of three hospitals run by TCP hasn’t acquired salaries for one 12 months, in response to sources. They mentioned that non-public pharmacies had been opened the hospitals illegally and tax have been deducted from employees since 2022 however not deposited to Federal Bureau of Income as they weren’t given tax certificates.
They mentioned that finance director had suspended pharmacies and terminated different employees illegally and the hospitals working underneath TCP had no funds to pay salaries to employees and buy medicines.
Sources mentioned the hospitals didn’t have syringes, medicines and diesel for generator, urging well being division to take motion in that regard and guarantee cost of salaries to employees. They mentioned that many specialists left the hospitals for non-payment of salaries.
Dr Adnan Taj, the managing director of Well being Basis, when contacted, mentioned that although finance division launched most finances until December 2023 and for the quarter of January-March 2024, they despatched finances requests to outsourcing oversight committee and DGHS to accord monetary concurrence for launch to these companies.
The federal government, he mentioned, had shaped oversight committee to guage the efficiency of outsourced hospitals previous to launch of their finances on quarterly foundation.
Printed in Daybreak, Could twentieth, 2024