MINGORA: The Health Coordination Council and local elders in Swat on Thursday announced plans to stage a protest sit-in against the Medical Teaching Institution (MTI) system, warning that it could turn public hospitals into profit-driven entities and deprive poor patients of access to healthcare.
The announcement was made during a press conference held at the Swat Press Club, attended by representatives of the Young Doctors Association, Paramedical Association, political parties, members of the business community, and local elders.
The speakers rejected the MTI law and said that it was unacceptable in its current form. They argued that under this system, government hospitals, particularly Saidu Sharif Hospital, could effectively be handed over to the private sector, making treatment unaffordable for low-income patients.
Dr Murad Ali, the vice president of the Young Doctors Association, along with other speakers, including Dr Karim, trader representative Khalid Mahmood, and former tehsil nazim Ikram Khan said that Saidu Sharif Hospital would not be allowed to be privatised under any circumstances.
They claimed that the MTI law approved in 2016 had neither benefited the public nor improved the health sector.According to them, the system allowed indirect political interference through Boards of Governors, enabling governments to exert influence over public hospitals.
The speakers warned that if implemented, the MTI system would reduce Swat’s historic hospital to a commercial entity. They suggested that if the government intended to establish teaching hospitals, it should construct new facilities instead of handing over existing public hospitals to private management.
They also demanded that the District Headquarters Hospital in Swat remain a public asset and called for the establishment of additional hospitals to reduce patient load. The council issued a warning that if their demands were not met by May 15, a mammoth protest sit-in would be held on May 16.
