ISLAMABAD: The Board of Governors of the Islamabad Healthcare Regulatory Authority (IHRA) has effectively collapsed after the federal government accepted the resignations of its chairman Dr Muhammad Riaz Shahbaz Janjua and four members, while two more members, Prof Dr Muhammad Naeem Malik and Dr Mehboobur Rehman, have also sent their resignations to the competent authority.
Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal confirmed that the IHRA board was “gone” after a majority of its members tendered resignations, leaving the federal capital’s healthcare regulator without a functional governing board at a time when scrutiny of hospital safety and regulation has intensified following the PIMS nursery fire that killed 14 newborns.
A notification issued by the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination said the federal cabinet had accepted the resignations of Prof Dr Matiur Rahman, Lt Col (retd) Dr Arif Maqsood Ali, Asma Khalil and Kashif Zahoor Chaudhry. The four members were de-notified from the board with effect from August 31, 2026. The government had earlier accepted the resignation of Dr Riaz Shahbaz Janjua as chairman and member of the board with effect from the same date.
With Prof Dr Muhammad Naeem Malik and Dr Mehboobur Rehman also submitting their resignations, seven of the nine members of the board have resigned. Notifications on acceptance of the resignations of the latter two members are awaited.
Under Section 5 of the Islamabad Healthcare Regulation Act, 2018, the federal government is required to notify a nine-member board. Seven members are to be nominated on the recommendation of a selection committee constituted under the law, while the remaining two are to be nominated directly by the federal government. The law provides that the selection committee includes representatives of the federal government, the Islamabad administration, public and private healthcare establishments, general practitioners, the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council, nursing and alternative medicine councils, civil society and patient or consumer associations.
The federal government, through the health ministry, is therefore expected to initiate the process for constitution of a new selection committee and appointment of a fresh board. The chairperson is to be selected from among the board members for a three-year term. The development came as Mustafa Kamal met members of IHRA’s Registration Board and directed them to immediately resume work on registration and licensing of healthcare establishments in Islamabad.
Officials briefed the minister that the previous IHRA Board of Governors had halted the licensing process, despite receipt of around 800 applications from public and private healthcare facilities seeking licences. The Health Ministry said the IHRA was established to ensure safe and quality healthcare services in Islamabad and that registration and licensing of all public and private healthcare establishments was one of its core statutory functions.
The minister directed the Registration Board to begin issuing licences after completion of all legal requirements and dispose of pending registration and licensing cases without delay. He asked the board to immediately process applications that were already complete and ready for a decision, and set a practical daily target for disposal of pending cases.
The ministry also directed that written information on registration and licensing procedures be provided to all relevant healthcare facilities, while an awareness and facilitation campaign should be launched to guide hospitals, clinics, laboratories and other establishments through the process. The Registration Board was further asked to introduce a formal complaint-handling system for prompt redress of public grievances and address staff shortages, in accordance with legal requirements, so that inspections, registration and licensing work was not delayed.
The ministry said all necessary measures should be taken to ensure effective oversight of healthcare facilities in Islamabad, where questions have been raised over hospital safety standards and regulatory enforcement after the PIMS tragedy.
