The Punjab Assembly on Wednesday passed Punjab Medical Teaching Institution (Reforms) Bill 2019 while rejecting all the amendments moved by the opposition. The House also passed Punjab Agricultural Marketing Regulatory Authority Bill 2019.
The opposition members belonging to the PML (N) including Waris Shad, Khawaja Salman Rafique and Dr Mazhar Iqbal while expressing their views on the Punjab Medical Teaching Institution Bill said that this bill will destroy the whole health care system of the biggest province Punjab. They also said that government had passed the bill in hurry without taking into consideration the after effects of the bill. They said that this system was a total failure in KP then why the PTI government is replicating it in Punjab. While showing their reservations on the bill opposition members said that government servants had not given any protection in the bill. They said that this act will not be proved useful unless the bill was not accepted by doctors, nurses and paramedics. There were flaws in the bill and the service structure of doctors was not protected.
Speaking on the bill, PML-N MPA Waris Shad said that the PTI government isn’t taking on board the stakeholders of health sector as this bill is meant to privatize the already deteriorating health department. Former health minister Khawaja Salman Rafique said in the House that the government shouldn’t pass this bill in hurry and talk to the doctors, nurses, professors and paramedics who are the major stakeholders of the bill. The government has first destroyed the PKLI established by the PML-N and now it is trying to destroy the whole health system of Punjab, he said. In his fiery speech, MPA Dr Mazhar Iqbal of PML-N said that the Medical Teaching Institute (MTI) bill will prove to be the last nail in the coffin of our health system. “I served in health department as Medical Officer, Senior Registrar and Assistant Professor before joining the politics and I am very clear that the MTI isn’t in the interest of health system,” said Dr Mazhar. Our health minister Dr Yasmin Rashid has served in the Pakistan Medical Association throughout her career and struggled for such laws but now she introduced this cruel legislation just for the sake of her ministry and politics, he said. He was of the view that there will be brain-drain of doctors in the Punjab after the passage of this bill as it will be disaster for health sector. He asked the health minister to show her allegiance with the health system instead of her party.
Punjab Law minister Raja Basharat while responding to the criticism of the opposition said that bill was presented in the House after complete deliberations with the stake holders including doctors, paramedics and nurses. He also said that Standing Committee on Health passed the bill unanimously. He categorically said that there is no threat to government servants jobs. He said that PTI government had recruited doctors in large numbers thorough Punjab Public Service Commission during past eighteen months. He was of the view that it is wrong impression that the hospitals are being privatized as government will give them funds based on the performance evaluation. The opposition was very clear while saying that the administrative control of the public sector hospitals will be given to Board of Directors headed by the private persons. The representatives of Grand Health Alliance have also threatened to come on the roads in protest against the legislation that they think that it will ruin the health system.
Earlier, PML (N) MPA Tariq Masih Gill raised the issue of the murder of young Christian Saleem Maseeh killed by influential land owners of Kasur. Speaker Punjab Assembly took the notice of the matter and announced that the issue will be discussed in Thursday’s session in which law minister will present the report of incident. The questions relating to Communication and Works Department were answered by Minister Sardar Asif Nakai.
The session was later adjourned to meet again on Thursday afternoon.
