January 18, 2002
Islamabad: Consumer Rights Commission of Pakistan has expressed its strong reservations about the proposed shift of control of one of the teaching hospitals to the District Government Rawalpindi. It said that the move would severely affect the quality of medical teaching, which is already deteriorating to its lowest ebb. It would also create trouble for the patients. CRCP lamented these concerns over the Punjab governor's directive to shift control of one of the hospitals in Rawalpindi to the district administration in consideration of the administration's demand.
CRCP acknowledged the probable role that the local government could play in institutional buildup, "but it must share the responsibilities in proportionate manner," it added. Public interest must decide policies of the administration. The district administration should adopt a balanced approach in managing affairs of the institutions within its territorial limits.
CRCP said that handing over the affairs of one of the three teaching hospitals namely, Holy Family Hospital (HFO), Rawalpindi General Hospital (RGH) and District Headquarter Hospital (DHQ) was not a viable option because it would seriously jeopardize the existing management setup and career of medical students. To consider the case for HFQ and RGH is not feasible simply because they were very huge tertiary care set-ups. DHQ is too a tertiary care set up but it is a smaller unit. The hospital is working well and has upgraded its services over years. The shifting of control to the Rawalpindi district administration will reduce it to secondary level.
CRCP explained the consumer concerns involved in the issue saying that the move would not only jeopardize the management services of the hospital, but it will also affect the quality of medical education through detachment of Rawalpindi Medical College. The hospital is a training unit for students of Rawalpindi Medical College, College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan and General Medical Council of U.K. The students of Rawalpindi Medical College will not only loose their teaching opportunities, but the post graduate training programs and post graduate trainees will also be eliminated.
CRCP also mentioned the difficulties that the patients could suffer in wake of the move. In short run, the move will deprive the patients from various programs of providing free medicines like OPD formulary, pulmonology, neuro surgery. In the end, the eventual result of poor quality of detached medical college would jeopardize health of the consumer. Already the patient-doctor ratio is as low as 1600:1 against the recommended WHO ratio of 1000:1. The Rawalpindi Medical College is producing 232 doctors annually.
CRCP impressed
upon the concerned authorities to seriously look into the matter. It recommended
that some suitable alternative path should be adopted. Detachment of the Medical
College was not in interest of the consumer. All the three hospitals were
working smoothly, however, the district government could play an effective
role as a member of the Governing Body of these hospitals, which is being
established shortly.