Islamabad: Pakistan’s medical community has warned of a possible nationwide suspension of healthcare services after the Pakistan Medical Association said aggressive and unannounced actions by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) against private hospitals and clinics had crossed red lines and were directly interfering with patient care.
In a strongly worded statement, the Pakistan Medical Association said it would be forced to take the “final and definitive step” of suspending services across the country if the FBR did not immediately halt what it described as harassment of healthcare providers. The association said responsibility for any resulting healthcare crisis would lie squarely with the tax authorities and the government.
The PMA expressed profound outrage over what it termed high-handed tactics by the Federal Board of Revenue, particularly in Punjab, where FBR teams have reportedly entered private healthcare facilities without prior notice.
According to the association, these actions have led to the suspension of outpatient department services in some hospitals, disrupting patient management and creating panic among patients and staff.
“Hospitals are highly sensitive zones,” the PMA said, warning that the presence of enforcement officials in clinical areas creates fear, causes psychological distress to patients and disrupts medical teams, including those involved in surgeries and emergency care. Tax collection, it said, must never come at the cost of human life or compromise the sanctity of life-saving institutions.
The association rejected the treatment of doctors as commercial traders, arguing that hospitals are not retail outlets and healthcare providers cannot be equated with ordinary businesses. The private healthcare sector, the PMA noted, caters to more than 70 percent of Pakistan’s population and fills critical gaps left by an overstretched public health system.
While reaffirming respect for the rule of law, the PMA said it was not opposed to taxation or accountability. However, it insisted that audits and assessments must be conducted through documented, professional and transparent channels, not through what it described as “commando-style” raids that publicly humiliate doctors and interrupt medical services.
The PMA warned that continued pressure on healthcare providers would further demoralise the profession and accelerate the outflow of skilled doctors abroad, worsening Pakistan’s already fragile health indicators. “This targeted victimisation discourages professional excellence and undermines the healthcare system,” the association said.
Addressing the broader issue of taxation, the PMA said it was prepared to comply if the government believed private healthcare must be taxed, but demanded accountability for how public money is spent. It called for an end to what it described as taxpayer-funded extravagance, urging politicians to forfeit special privileges, bureaucrats to abandon luxury vehicles and ministers to curb costly foreign travel with large entourages. Tax revenue, it said, must be spent on public welfare rather than elite lifestyles.
The association called on the prime minister and the federal minister for finance to take immediate notice of the situation and order an end to the aggressive tactics. “Our dignity is not for sale, and our service to humanity shall not be compromised,” the PMA said, warning that doctors would not hesitate to suspend services if pushed further.
From the FBR’s side, officials have maintained that actions taken against private hospitals and clinics are part of a lawful drive to improve tax compliance and broaden the tax base. FBR sources say teams have been deployed under existing legal provisions to verify income reporting and address alleged under-reporting in sectors with historically low compliance. They reject accusations of harassment, insisting that no sector or profession can be placed above the law.
The FBR has also indicated willingness to engage with stakeholders but has stressed that enforcement will continue as part of the government’s broader revenue mobilisation efforts. However, doctors argue that enforcement inside functioning hospitals crosses ethical and professional boundaries.
With positions hardening on both sides, the standoff has raised fears of disruption to medical services nationwide, as the country’s healthcare system finds itself caught between revenue enforcement and the realities of patient care.
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