PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa health department has demanded that unauthorized squatters be removed from the houses that were constructed within hospitals for physicians, nurses, and other staff members.
The officials claim that the government has created a list of these unlawfully inhabited residences, which includes 90 bungalows and 41 flats.
Furthermore, they informed the sources that the houses would be given to hospital staff members once the illegal residents were removed to maintain the smooth continuity of service for patients.
Additionally, in several districts, the health secretary has formally requested that district health officers and medical superintendents of civil and district hospitals coordinate with district administrations to evict unauthorized occupants.
As per the details, assistant commissioners, judges, deputy commissioners, district police officers, levies employees, deputy superintendents of police, representatives of the revenue department, WAPDA, anti-corruption establishment, Rescue 1122 employees, and doctors working for foreign organizations such as the World Health Organization, United Nations Population Fund, etc. have illegally occupied the residences meant for doctors.
The sources claimed that the district health officers and hospital medical superintendents had complained to the health department on numerous occasions about how patients suffered as there were no doctors, nurses, or paramedics available for afternoon and night shifts because the houses built on the property for them were being occupied illegally.
According to the representatives, the hospital staff whose presence was most required on the property in both routine and emergency circumstances were to be assigned to such houses by district administrations.
In a letter, the health secretary requested meetings with the appropriate deputy commissioners to plan measures for the police-assisted vacation of such homes.
However, according to the officials, despite an eviction notice being issued last year, the uninvited, “politically well-connected” residents of those residences continued to reside there.
They maintained that if the proper staff was given residencies at civil and district hospitals, patient treatment would dramatically improve throughout the province.
According to an estimate, more than 30 houses were allegedly unlawfully inhabited in various hospitals, including Maulvi Ameer Shah Memorial Hospital in Peshawar.
In addition to the women and children’s hospitals in Bannu and Charsadda, the officials said that nothing had changed in the hospitals in Mardan, Karak, Hangu, Swat, Dera Ismail Khan, Kohistan, Battagram, and Mohmand.
The sources claimed that since the hospital staff members resided in distant locations, the department was unable to take disciplinary action against them for skipping night duties.
