Teaching hospitals: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to conduct 'Evening Paid Patient Services'

The provincial government of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday decided to start 'Evening Paid Patient Services' (EPPS) in four teaching hospitals of the province with immediate effect. This was informed during a meeting held here with Special Secretary Health, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Noorul Imaan in the chair.
The meeting decided that under EPPS, senior registrars of Khyber Teaching Hospital, Peshawar, Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar, Hayatabad Medical Complex Peshawar and Ayub Medical Complex Abbottabad would start private practice in the OPD of these hospitals in the evening on a consultation fee of rupees 300 per patient. Out of this amount, 10 percent would go to the common pool for auxiliary staff, 30 percent to the institute and 60 percent to the respective doctor. The motive behind this initiative is neither aimed at making money or doing politics but to deliver quality health care in a reasonable fee, said Dr Imaan told the meeting. He said that those who are supposed to serve the ailing humanity will fall from grace if they do not honestly serve them.
During the meeting, a number of doctors told the special secretary that certain people with vested interests would try to frustrate the plan. However, stout Dr Iman sounded very strong and said that he would convince the dissenting voices with logic and prove to them that they would have greater benefits from the plan.
He further said that all previous plans were carried out with adhoc-ism due to which they failed to succeed. He added that any move succeeds if it is carried out with sincerity. Beside Chief Executive, Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH) Peshawar, Dr Mohammad Zaffar, Chief Executive HMC Dr Aftab Akbar Durrani, Chief Executive MMC Professor Dr Ziaul Islam and others attended the meeting.
It may be recalled that the provincial government had also attempted previously to establish private practice at government hospitals in the evening but that move had not succeeded and the plan had to be wrapped up. This time, the Dr Noorul Imaan is the moving spirit behind the plan to re-establish private clinics in government hospitals. He is a specialist but presently is not doing private practice. He is ambitious to make the health delivery system a dynamic one.