Doctors announce Oct 11 convention, warn of indefinite healthcare shutdown

PMA claims widespread participation in strike; PIMA rejects POS system for clinics

IV Report

KARACHI: Doctors’ bodies on Wednesday announced an All-Pakistan Doctors’ Convention in Gujrat on October 11 and warned that they could opt for an extended, indefinite nationwide healthcare shutdown if the government failed to address their grievances over taxation measures, including the Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) point-of-sale (POS) system for medical practices.

The announcement was made at a press conference addressed by senior Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) leaders, including former PMA Centre president Prof S Tipu Sultan, PMA Centre Secretary General Dr Abdul Ghafoor Shoro and PMA Karachi President Dr Ismail Memon, following a one-day strike against what the association described as administrative overreach and undue pressure on the medical community.

PMA Karachi General Secretary Dr Shahid Mamsa and Young Doctors Association Sindh Chairman Dr Mehboob Noonari were also present at the press conference, where the doctors’ representatives said they had exhausted avenues of dialogue with the FBR and the Finance Ministry.

The PMA claimed that its provincial and district chapters reported suspension of private outpatient consultations and routine diagnostic services in major cities and districts across Sindh, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. It said rallies and demonstrations were also held at several locations in support of the protest.

According to the association, private outpatient departments, private hospital consultations and routine diagnostic services were suspended, while emergency rooms, intensive care units, coronary care units and other life-saving services continued to operate.

PMA leaders said the protest was primarily directed against the FBR’s measures concerning POS machines and penalties under Section 175C. They argued that medical practice should not be subjected to the same operational framework as commercial retail businesses and called for withdrawal of what they described as coercive regulatory measures.

The association said its representatives had attempted to resolve the issue through negotiations, claiming that two meetings had been held with the FBR chairman and another with the federal finance minister. According to the PMA, commitments were initially made to withdraw the POS requirement from private hospitals and clinics, but subsequent discussions failed to produce an agreement.

Prof Tipu Sultan said doctors had served the country for decades and expressed concern over what he described as coercive measures against medical practitioners. He said the compulsory installation of POS machines and penalties under Section 175C were creating additional pressure on healthcare providers.

The PMA said the October 11 convention would bring together representatives of the PMA, YDA, specialty organisations and medical associations from the provinces, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan to determine the future course of action.

It warned that failure by the government to address the doctors’ grievances before the convention could lead to an extended, indefinite nationwide shutdown of healthcare services.

The Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA), in a separate statement, also rejected the FBR’s POS system for clinics, saying doctors were being subjected to undue pressure and harassment through what it termed unprofessional measures.

PIMA said the policy could put patients’ privacy at risk and make medical treatment more expensive. It expressed full support for the PMA’s demands concerning the POS system.

The doctors’ organisations have framed the dispute primarily around the applicability of POS requirements and related tax enforcement measures to medical practices. A response from the FBR or Finance Ministry would be necessary to establish the government’s rationale for the measures and address the objections raised by the medical bodies.

Photos courtesy: PMA