QUETTA: The Young Doctors Association (YDA) has strongly rejected the provincial government’s proposal to run Bacha Khan Hospital under the public-private partnership (PPP) model, accusing the Balochistan government of lacking a coherent policy for the health department.
In a statement issued by the YDA spokesperson, the association noted that the Balochistan government appears hesitant in formulating clear policies for the health sector. Currently, the government has adopted multiple conflicting models to run hospitals across the province — including full government control, semi-autonomous, autonomous, and public-private partnership — all at the same time. The spokesperson said this clearly indicates a policy vacuum at the government level for running the health department.
The YDA further pointed out that the government plans to bear an annual expenditure of Rs 6 billion or more on major projects such as the Trauma Center Quetta and the Balochistan Institute of Cardiology (BICVD), intending to run them through grant-in-aid on an autonomous body model.
However, the association expressed strong concern over the government’s attempt to privatize the newly constructed Bacha Khan Hospital — located in the heart of Quetta city and built at a cost of billions of rupees — under the PPP model. The YDA spokesperson termed this a clear contradiction and evidence of an unclear policy.
“The government initially argued that remote areas are difficult to access and staff cannot be provided there, hence privatization was being adopted for those regions. But now the attempt to run Bacha Khan Hospital, which is in the central area of the city, under privatization makes that argument weak and illogical,” the spokesperson said.
The YDA maintained that the government’s simultaneous adoption of several different policies to run hospitals proves that there is no comprehensive and consistent strategy for improving the health sector. Pushing government institutions toward privatization instead of strengthening them is not a solution to problems but will create more complications, the association warned.
The statement concluded that the Balochistan government should clarify its decisions regarding the health department. “Otherwise, a strong voice will be raised against such anti-people and anti-employee policies, and the path of strong protest will be taken,” the YDA spokesperson said.
