Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s recent visit to Mayo Hospital Lahore over complaints of shortage of medicines by patients sparked a fresh controversy when it emerged that the MS had already resigned over the institution’s Rs3.5 billion arrears, while the Health Minister and Secretary were allegedly well aware of the matter.
According to sources, the medical community reacted strongly to the Chief Minister’s behavior and termed the Chief Minister’s move as a blow to the sanctity of the profession. Terming the incident as regrettable, the medical community said that it has exposed the incompetence of the Punjab Health Minister and Secretary, who have been misleading the government and the public about the financial crisis facing Mayo Hospital for the past two years.
According to sources, Punjab Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique has visited the hospital about five times in the past few months and in each visit, the institution’s administration informed him about the acute shortage of funds and complaints from patients.
During the same period, Punjab Health Secretary Azmat Mahmood also allegedly visited the hospital twice along with the health minister, and the issue of the shortage of funds was put before him. The MS expressed concerns that vendors have stopped supplying medicines due to arrears of billions of rupees, and the situation is getting worse with each passing month.
An official aware of the matter said that the Mayo Hospital administration had given him the funds to release. He said that when repeated requests were not acted upon, Professor Faisal Masood resigned on February 2, citing personal reasons.
Professor Faisal Masood’s resignation dated February 12 stated that “I respectfully request that due to personal reasons I am unable to continue with the additional charge of Chief Operating Officer and Medical Superintendent of Mayo Hospital Lahore, therefore I should be relieved of this responsibility immediately.”
Talking about the Health Secretary’s wilful negligence, the official said that Health Secretary Azmat Mahmood had written a letter of displeasure to Professor Masood a day before the Chief Minister’s scheduled visit, even though he was aware of the fact that he had resigned from his post four weeks ago.
The official claimed that the purpose of drafting the letter was only to divert the attention of the Punjab Chief Minister and shift the entire burden of his department’s negligence onto the hospital administration, as Azmat Mahmood was aware of the CM’s expected visit to the hospital the next day.
The letter of disapproval issued by the health department on March 5 said, “I have been directed to express my deep dissatisfaction with the competent authority for the ineffective protocol being followed in the emergency department of Mayo Hospital Lahore.” The statement said that the continuous unavailability of essential medicines is of utmost concern, which has severely affected the ability to provide timely and effective care to critically ill patients.
The official said that a narrative is rapidly growing that the above two letters were portraying the real picture to pin the responsibility on the health secretary and the health minister who were aware of the actual situation in the hospital.
The medical community reacted strongly after the CM’s visit to the hospital and termed the threats of arrest of senior teachers as the ‘final nail in the coffin of the dying health sector’. On the visit of CM Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) official Dr Malik Shahid Shaukat said that the incident was a nightmare for the medical community and a stain on the governance model in the health sector.
Prof Shaukat said that the insult to medical teachers and the silence of other senior professors before the Punjab Chief Minister showed that the health profession had reached the worst level. The action was beyond expectations as the government had released only Rs 20 million against the outstanding amount of Rs 3.5 billion of Mayo Hospital.
Dr Shaukat said that the two health departments have reached the brink of collapse due to the appointment of favored officers in key posts and the worst kind of privatization in the health sector.The Young Consultants Association of Pakistan (YCA) has condemned the Chief Minister of Punjab’s disrespect towards the Medical Superintendent (MS) of Mayo Hospital Lahore.
The association has alleged that the shortage of medicines is due to the non-provision of funds by the Punjab government to the hospital, the association has claimed that this incident will cause further brain drain.A statement issued by YCA Chairman Dr. Asfandyar Khan and President Dr. Hamid Mukhtar Butt claimed that the removal of Professor Faisal Masood is not only unfair but also an insult to a medical professional.
Professor Faisal Masood is a distinguished educationist and orthopedic surgeon who is the head of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at King Edward Medical University. His invaluable services in the education of orthopedic surgeons and his unwavering dedication to patient care have earned him immense respect and admiration in the medical community.
Dr Asfandyar Khan, associate professor at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), while speaking to the media, said it was unfortunate that the Punjab Chief Minister misbehaved with a health professional over his failure. He said the Punjab government had not resolved the issue of the shortage of medicines and other facilities.
He said that Professor Faisal Masood could have responded to the Chief Minister, but he only respected a woman and his professional integrity, warning that the incident could lead to further brain drain from Pakistan.
