Islamabad: The Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (MoNHSR&C) has advised the Islamabad Healthcare Regulatory Authority (IHRA) to defer recruitment for its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) until proposed amendments to the IHRA Act are finalized, including changes that would allow serving government officials to head the regulator.
In a letter issued on June 11, the ministry informed the IHRA chairman that amendments to the Islamabad Healthcare Regulatory Authority Act, 2018 had already been proposed and were awaiting consideration by the Cabinet Committee on Legislative Cases (CCLC). In view of the pending amendments, the authority was advised to keep its ongoing recruitment process pending until the proposed changes are finalized by the competent forum.
The directive comes weeks after Transparency International Pakistan wrote to Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal over complaints alleging regulatory interference and tailor-made amendments relating to autonomous health institutions under the ministry.
According to the watchdog’s letter, one of the proposed amendments seeks deletion of Section 13(b) of the IHRA Act 2018, which currently bars serving government officials from being appointed chief executive officer of the authority. Transparency International noted that similar restrictions exist in the healthcare regulatory laws of Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to safeguard the independence of provincial health regulators.
The complaint alleged that removal of the provision could pave the way for the appointment of a serving government officer as CEO of IHRA. It also referred to the appointment of Dr Zaeem Zia, a serving government official, as acting CEO of the authority in April this year while a regular recruitment process for the position was already underway.
Transparency International said the proposed amendment created a perception that legal changes were being pursued to facilitate the appointment of a particular individual by removing an existing statutory restriction. The organisation urged the federal health minister to examine the allegations and take action if any violations of transparency, merit or regulatory independence were found.
The anti-corruption watchdog also sought scrutiny of a procurement process relating to the outsourcing of a regional blood centre and a 50-bed isolation hospital, alleging that eligibility criteria may have restricted competition and resulted in a single bidder.
The ministry has not publicly explained the rationale behind the proposed amendments. However, the move has triggered debate over the future governance structure of IHRA, which was established as an autonomous regulator to oversee healthcare standards and licensing in the federal capital.
While the health ministry has proposed amendments to the IHRA law, the legislative process remains at an early stage and any changes are unlikely to take effect soon.
Parliament is currently occupied with deliberations on the federal budget, making introduction of the proposed amendments during the ongoing session unlikely. Even after the budget process concludes, the draft amendments would first require clearance from the Cabinet Committee on Legislative Cases and approval by the federal cabinet before they could be introduced in either the National Assembly or Senate.
After being introduced in Parliament, the bill would ordinarily be referred to the relevant standing committee for detailed examination, consultations and recommendations before returning to the House for debate and voting. The process could take weeks or months and would provide lawmakers and stakeholders an opportunity to scrutinise the proposed changes before any final decision is taken.
Against this backdrop, the ministry’s advice to keep the CEO recruitment process pending until the fate of the proposed amendments is decided is likely to intensify discussion over the balance between government oversight and the operational independence of healthcare regulatory institutions.
Ends