KARACHI: The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has threatened a nationwide closure of private clinics and selective medical services, vowing stiff resistance against the “increasing excesses” of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).
The decision was taken unanimously in a high-level emergency meeting of the PMA’s Central Council at PMA House on Sunday. The organisation’s leadership declared that the FBR’s recent actions are tantamount to intimidating health professionals and violating the sanctity of the medical process.
In a formal communiqué, the council expressed “zero tolerance” for the systematic harassment of doctors and highlighted the aggressive tactics allegedly employed in Punjab. The PMA condemned the conduct of FBR officials, citing intrusive raids and coercive actions that violate the privacy of medical facilities and interfere with critical patient care.
The association formally rejected the mandatory implementation of the Point of Sale (POS) system in the medical environment. The council argued that medical practice is not a commercial activity and that enforcing such a system is “technically absurd and professionally demeaning,” especially in emergency and life-saving situations.
Furthermore, the PMA strongly opposed the punitive application of Section 175C, under which the FBR can penalize medical professionals. The council termed the section a “gross violation of professional dignity” and an infringement of the constitutional right to a fair trial.
The organization has made an explicit demand for the immediate withdrawal of the POS requirement from all hospitals across Punjab. The leadership pointed out that the medical community is already one of the highest tax-paying sectors in the country and will not be subjected to “redundant and coercive surveillance systems.”
If the government fails to abandon these “anti-doctor” policies, the PMA has outlined a two-point response. First, it will de-notify all focal persons in contact with the FBR, thereby ending all administrative cooperation. Second, the association will call for a full-scale nationwide protest, which may include an indefinite shutdown of elective medical services and private clinics across Pakistan.
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