Punjab Healthcare Bill 2009: Mockery of the Healthcare System

Just when things couldn't get any dumber, they do. The Punjab Healthcare Bill 2009 is the dumbest thing that can happen to the healthcare system. The bill has been the cause of much dissent in the medical community for the last several weeks.

Aimed at "....regulating the unregulated healthcare sector in public and private sector with a view to curb unethical medical practice and improve the standard of healthcare in the province", the bill has innumerable shortcomings.

Here's some of what I want answered by the "genius" CM:

1. Why in the world, CM Sahib, did you need a foreigner to write this 150-page bill? I admit that you can't depend on the ineptness of a certain group of doctors, however, did you bother to realize that we're NOT all like that? And there are some of us who have the skills, expertise, and intelligence to draft this kind of bill....an even BETTER bill! I don't care how extensive Mike Naylor's experience may be, but no one can understand the on-ground realities better than the Pakistani medical doctor who lives and breathes these challenges on a daily basis. The fact that you had to panhandle for this too, is despicable. Why the incessant urge to turn to a foreigner every time you need a solution? Have you no faith in Pakistanis?
2. Your cronies insist that all stakeholders were consulted during the drafting of this bill. Are you sure? How come the PMA, the representative body, was left out?
3. "The ombudsman may undertake investigation into allegations of maladministration, malpractice or failures on the part of healthcare service providers................and will have the powers of a civil court in summoning any person, compelling the production of documents, receiving evidence on affidavits and issuing commission for the examination of witnesses. All executive authorities and law enforcement agencies of the government will act in aid of the health ombudsman." All this power to one person?? What qualifies him to undertake this position? What should his credentials be to qualify him as a health ombudsman? It has been visibly observed that individuals in similar authoritative positions have never had the academic qualification nor the moral acumen to raise the red flag on the institution they are hawk-eyeing.
4. "......an independent and separate entity completely free of external influence by the government or other channels, would inspect health facilities in public and private sector in an extremely impartial and systematic manner....." Amidst a series of corrupt institutions, how will you ensure the ombudsman and his team will be impartial and fair? I can safely say right now, the culprit doctors can and will easily pay off the ombudsman and ensure that allegations against them and their practice be immediately dropped. Everyone from the policemen to ministers are paid to look the other way. You cannot guarantee an overhaul of one system, when every other system is corrupt and its presiding authorities are easily bribed. This is about giving justice to patients, so fix the justice system first!
5. "It will neither recruit public employees nor have any direct operational link with the government to make it completely free of outside influence". Still not buying it. Hands down it's gonna be public employees and the "influence" is gonna be immense!
   
6. The bill is aimed at hospitals in the private sector as well. Does that mean Ittefaq Hospital will also be put under the spotlight?
   
7. Why not ensure facilities and services in the public sector first? This is where 95% of the population seeks healthcare from. But of course, you probably don't know that since every time you need a prescription you hop on a plane to London. By the way, then what was the point of building Ittefaq if you weren't even gonna use it for your own medical problems?
   
8. You have yet to regularize doctors working under the Punjab Rural Support Programme (PRSP). You want to re-vamp the system?....begin by honoring these doctors.
   

I hope there is a real crack down on the quacks and the doctors who are tarnishing this profession. But keep in mind, not all of us are like that! I'm all for accountability and responsibility. And there is no room whatsoever for negligence and carelessness when it comes to human life.

To those of us who work with total sincerity, professionalism, and commitment, we deserve adequate incentives. It is the lack of respect, insufficient salaries, and lack of quality post-graduate opportunities (that can bring us at par internationally) that forces so many of us to leave Pakistan and seek career advancement abroad. These issues need to be addressed just as urgently as revamping a healthcare system to improve the health services offered to patients.

And for god's sake put an end to the mushrooming of private medical colleges! They don't offer any quality medical education and are merely money-guzzling institutes. These medical colleges are the root cause of all the negligence that occurs in hospitals these days. We don't need an army of doctors who ultimately prove to be incompetent.

How Many More?

Rawalpindi Parade Lane Mosque: 40 dead and 80 injured today as they prayed the Friday prayer. Among the deceased: men, women, and children.

May they all rest in peace. Heartfelt sympathies and condolences to the relatives of the deceased. May Allah grant you the patience to endure this loss.

Prawn Curry and Collard Greens: A Defining Partnership

Last week, at the first state dinner of the Obama presidency, Manmohan Singh and Obama helped themselves to prawn curry, coconut flavored basmati rice, potato dumplings, and collard greens. While they savored the flavors and enjoyed the night away under a giant tent on the South Lawn of the White House with more than 300 guests, not a single media anchor in Pakistan bothered to analyze Singh's visit to the U.S.


"The relationship between the United States and India will be one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century"....Obama said this not once, but twice. As Manmohan Singh cuddled up to Obama for the next 2 hours in the Oval Office, and finally got a chance to speak his heart out after India sat out for the longest time when W was running the show, we were too busy figuring out the Who's Who of the NRO list.


Not a single yapping political talk show host raised an eyebrow on what it was exactly that Singh was saying to Obama. Of all the foolish bickering and repetitive analyses that occurs on these shows, it wouldn't have hurt to finally talk about something important. Something that has legitimate consequences for Pakistan and is far more worthy of listening to than Firdous Ashiq Awan's characterisitic brute and crass yelling extravaganza.


The favoritism that America is playing cannot be ignored. Our country stands at a very critical moment in time. The war that our soldiers are fighting is not ours to begin with. In fact, it has no legitimate rationale. The daily deaths of 30, 50, 100 people in our cities is becoming a harsh and upsetting routine. Fact remains that the terrorism that occurs in our cities has been brought in. We're constantly compelled to answer questions on the international floor about issues that no one has a right to bully us about.


Someone needs to grow a backbone, more importantly a conscience, and stand up to all this. Our present leaders obviously will never. They are satisfied throwing rose petals at the feet of the US as they plan to trample us over. The game that India is trying to play cannot be allowed and should be stopped.


The considerable leeway that India gets from the US is appalling. And in all this time, Pakistan has been forced to stand in the corner. If we are the ally that US says we are, then when will we be treated like one?


Why is there no mention of the terrorism that occurs in India? A country, where an Australian missionary and his 2 sons are burned alive and thousands others for not being Hindu, should be questioned on its stance of "secular democracy".


The media can play a crucial role in thwarting and exposing India's deception. But, this can only happen if these narcisstic anchors can stop thinking about the ratings of their show, and start thinking about protecting this country.

Repeating Awadh?

The royal dynasty of Awadh emerged when the Mughal Empire collapsed. The early days were prosperous. The rulers (Nawab Wazir) had immense power and authority. Awadh flourished with its fertile land and sufficient financial resources.....until the British came.

In 1763, the Battle of Buxer resulted in the British supervising the affairs of the state and thereby reducing the authority of the Nawab. This suited the Nawabs just fine, who relished in the never-ending luxury they afforded with the allowances doled out to them by the British Resident. In return, the Nawabs conceded their power to the British, transforming themselves into weak rulers who were assured by the devious British that the state was still under the control of the Nawabs. This deceit comforted the Nawabs, who couldn't care less to know the truth, and instead were more preoccupied with maintaining their harems and living lavishly.

An exorbitant amount of money was spent on coronation ceremonies, weddings, and irrelevant festivals and worthless pursuits. The Nawabs spent their entire time in the company of women and eunuchs. Shuja'uddola had almost 2000 women from whom he had 25 sons and 22 daughters. Wajid Ali Shah, the last ruler, had 40 sons and 34 daughters. Thus, the growing size of the royal family consequently burdened the economy further. As a result, the British flooded the Nawabs with more allowances, and most of the state's income went directly to the royal family to meet their opulent and extravagant demands. This corruption of mind and morals led to corruption in power and authority. In addition to the allowances they received, the Nawabs heavily taxed the common man in order to grab more money and add to their wealth and fuel their luxurious desires. This, ultimately, forced the majority of society into poverty. But, sadly, the Nawabs were least bothered about the common man and happily lived in the utopia that had been created for them by the British.

The abyss between the rich and the poor created by the economic disparity generated the downfall of Awadh. The common man felt discriminated and collectively the society weakened. The rulers were worthless---mere puppets serving the British interests. So, when the British finally decided to take over completely, nobody rose to defend the state. Wajid Ali Shah simply surrendered and accepted exile. And Awadh along with its pompous and self-absorbed leaders disintegrated and became part of the British territory.

Is this not a mirror image of what is happening in present day Pakistan? Aren't our leaders also serving the interests of external powers? History has constantly shown that whenever leaders of a nation attempt to succeed with assistance from external elements, major concessions are given in exchange---and this transaction always takes place at the cost of the country's interests. This is the reality that we are faced with now. The question is, unlike the people of Awadh, will we rise?

Living Made Easy by Maxim

Not So Sweet

ARY is into the 5th day of its 7-day boycott of sugar.Their promotion ad for the boycott is long and, to a certain extent, convincing. I give them credit for DOING SOMETHING about the problem, instead of churning the issue through discussions and analyses. The way they are encouraging others to join them is also admirable. But I have just one question. Perhaps, I'm playing a devil's advocate when I say this: is this the REAL solution? So, every time they create a shortage of any food item, does that mean we hurl ourselves into a knee-jerk reaction of boycotting that particular item? Then what are we gonna eat?? So, gradually we just stop EATING?? ARY's tagline is: we don't really need that much of sugar to begin with. We can do without it. Really??! I mean I'm with you if you're talking about the 10 cups of tea every Pakistani loves to have with 3 teaspoons of sugar every day.....yeah we can cut back from a health point of view....but jokes aside, what are we really achieving through this boycott?? It's not bringing into light the fact of the matter: sugar is being kept locked up in these mills and withheld intentionally.

Boycotting to me translates into compelling us to live with the problem. "You don't want to give us the sugar, then fine...we don't want it actually to begin with." I just can't accept this logic. This solution, for me, has some major pitfalls. Why should we live with the problems that our supposed ''leaders'' are throwing our way? We've adopted this stance for the last 60+ years. Now's the time to say enough is enough. Why aren't these problems being addressed? Substantial steps need to be taken to address the core of the issue. Simply sitting by and rationalizing that we can do without basic necessities is a solution that is pacifying at best, and misleading at worst. It's a solution that diverts attention from the root cause of the issue. While we sit back and boycott, the ''geniuses'' who created this sugar crisis, remain unaffected. They're not being held accountable for this hoarding. That's what's needed!

These avaricious behemoths, who live on the principles of gluttony and iniquity, should be castigated. The public should demand the release of the hoarded sugar by staging a peaceful protest. Go and engulf one of the thousands of mills and demand the doors be opened. Demand accountability! Will it work? I hope so. Will it get violent? I hope not. But, in my opinion, asserting that you don't need sugar to begin with and showing you suddenly don't care that it's not available, only puts a smile on the faces of these gluttons.

Show us the faces of these mill-owners who aren't even blinking an eye at what they're doing! Rehman Malik and "Khadim-e-Punjab" blabbed 2 months ago about taking strict action against these mill-owners within 24 hours? It's been 2 months and 1440 hours later----where's the strict action?!!

The bigwigs all know who is behind this....so if anyone with the authority of law enforcement has an iota of a conscience, they'd march over there right now, seize the mills, and arrest and imprison these mill-owners. Lack of accountability of actions and consequent punishment is the crux of every crisis that faces us. There's a gross ineptness in both departments. Of course, once upon a time, the CJ had sworn and pledged something to the effect of being there for the people and ensuring their concerns will be addressed. Somehow, it seems, either the CJ is suffering from a bad case of amnesia or he's too preoccupied polishing and shining his medals and awards that have been bestowed upon him by a group of people who probably can't even say his name correctly.

Amidst the bitter, fetid, and vile events unfolding these days.......sugar was the one sweet thing we had left.

Civics 101

I'm not ashamed to admit that in this day and age, I'm a morning person. Yup, you got it! I like to be in bed by 10:30 and I'm up bright and early at 6. Most people reading this, would consider me a bore, a hermit, old-fashioned, and perhaps even go so far as to say that I've got no life. To those of you who do think this---I DON'T NEED TO PROVE ANYTHING!! My life and what I do with it, is my business. And naturally, being one for fairness and equality---your life is YOUR business.

But, things start getting nasty and irritating when you shove your business into mine. Case in point? This very moment: 12:47 am, sitting in the sanctuary of my room, I'm being subjected to listen to the Bombay Rockers, Nadia Ali's "Rapture", and a plethora of those vexing Bollywood songs as they blare thru the speakers the DJ has set up in the house across from mine. The guy across the street is getting married next week, and so, as it has become customary these days, the festivities start a week in advance. And if you happen to be in close proximity to these mentally deranged idiots, who lack complete sense of civility, then you will inevitably be forced to endure their idiocy.

You wanna play songs and dance? Fine by me. Go right ahead! But, at 1 in the morning, please don't turn this into a block party and ruin everyone else's peace and quiet.

They've shut up....may be now I can finally get some shut eye.

Where The Devil Lives

**2 year old girl thrown into a vat of boiling water dies.

Crime: Her father scolded a 10 yr. old boy for hitting him with a cricket ball when he was playing with his friends. The boy ran to his house and told his father, who threatened the girl's father saying he would get back at him for reprimanding his son. The boy's father was arrested and now is out on bail.

**3 year old girl molested and thrown in a gutter.

Crime: Two on-duty cops patrolling a neighborhood, saw some children playing outside and spotted this girl and kidnapped her. Took turns molesting her and when she died, threw her body in a gutter. Parents and neighbors searched for the girl but never found her. The cops returned the next day to patrol the same neighborhood, and the other children, who the girl had been playing with, recognized them and told their parents. Cops were arrested, and led authorities to the gutter where they had dumped the girl's body. The court's ruling: death sentence. The cops are alive, and appealing the verdict.

Is this what this country has come to? The fear of life is ever-present.....lurking and thriving, perhaps, just next door?? How do you begin to rationalize any of this? How do you allow 2 savages to roam freely, while the parents mourn the horrendous and barbaric death of their daughter? A wound deeply gashed into thier lives from which they will never recover. Is this the justice system from which Iftikhar Chaudhry said, that if re-instated, he would bring justice to all and ensure the system fails no one?? The man who rallied thousands behind him to march for him on the streets of this country just so that he could get back on that pedestal of the Supreme Court, now seems the least bothered and could care less. Is it because his interests are now taken care of? So what if the poor and the weak are bulldozed by the mighty and the powerful?

Few days ago Tauseeq Haider interviewed Dr. Enver Sajjad. As is Dr. Enver's usual demeanor--irresistible! You have to listen to the man. The man talks and talks sense. He says things the way they are. No fluff. No sugar coating. The plain, cold, simple truth. And so it came as no surprise when he just slammed the facts on the table and said "....there are only 2 'species' that are rapidly becoming popular these days: actors and anchors. No one remembers the writers and directors any more."

It got me thinking about these anchors he was referring to. And the ones that immediately came to mind were the annoying ones. The ones I watch on TV and wonder how big of a safarish they must have paid to be where they are now. They have no talent whatsoever....no skill of their craft....and except for one qualification: talking (read "talking total bs")---it seems based solely on that and the fact they pulled some major strings to get where they are......hence it had to be a safarish.

1. Ayesha Sana: Please for the love of god, get your nasal problem fixed and stop snorting back your post-nasal drip when you talk to your guests.

2. Shaista Wahidi: Lady, kissing a snake on its mouth on live tv isn't gonna boost your ratings. And please learn to sit!

3. VJ Waqar: You're a wanna-be. Your "ideas" for different shows aren't really worth watching. And by the way, the long hair doesn't do much for you either. Basically the guy tries to make his idiocy under the spotlight appealing. So far, it hasn't worked. Not everyone is Letterman.

4. Some VJ on ATV: Don't know the dude's name...but god he sucks at hosting a show!!! Rarely has a clue as to what he wants to say. And after being on the show pretty much EVERYDAY--still hasn't learned which camera to look into.

5. Sahir Lodhi: I want to like you.....but just can't bring myself to it. You seem to have a good sense of perspective...but then sometimes you say things that make me wonder if the wheels really are turning. I'll give you this much, you're slightly better than your sister. But if you wouldn't try so hard, you might be more pleasant to watch.

6. Hamid Mir: Can't waste my time.

7. Farah Hussain: She's the cold statue that talks for 2 hrs straight in the morning. May be if she brought some human expression and emotion, she would look.......ummm...........human!?

8. Abeel Jawed: Desi blonde.

9. Mubashir Lucman: You not only try too hard, but you also aren't as intelligent as you want your viewers to believe.

What's with the desi mentality?!

Someone please enlighten me. And if you share the same sentiment, then join the club!

But, first, a disclaimer: I'm not on the outside looking in....I'm very much IN and among them--which is why my observation is so pristine and right on the mark. But despite being amongst them, I'm still failing to understand why their mentality is messed up.

Now for the specifics. The "mentality" I'm referring to is this weird vitriol that detonates from them every time you build a certain expectation. And the most common expectation (and for those of you who are wondering the same question as me are then all too familiar with what I'm about to say) is when it comes to the scenario of ''helping''. You know what I'm talking about.....you're not exactly looking for help nor asking for it, but nevertheless they insist they can help you with whatever it is you're going through. And despite the fact that you decline and say "no, it's ok"....they keep insisting. So, in the end, you accept---thinking perhaps it would be a good thing if you got a helping hand. But that's exactly when you've fallen into the trap. When the time comes, the curtains raise, and the drumroll ceases.........there's......nothing. Nada. Zilch. They've either vanished and will say they never remembered that they had offered to help. Or, (and this is the most common reaction) turn things around and throw it back at you saying you're expecting too much out of them. And that is the '' weird vitriol'' I'm talking about. Then, not only are you left without help but now you also stand wondering what the hell just happened. Just moments ago they seemed so amicable and willing, and now you're being accused of asking too much out of them!!??

My bottomline is: why can't we help one another?? what's up with that? what do we lose by helping the other person out? and if we can't help one another, then why do you offer to begin with? why not just say, up front, "hey! ...I don't think I can." ?? no one is gonna take a plunge at you for that! honesty really is the best policy. SO FOR GOD'S SAKE JUST SAY IT! and stop mincing your words!

I only expected something out of you, CUZ YOU INSISTED ON IT. So please just someone explain to me what the hell these desis are up to?

Meanwhile, I think I've learned my lesson one too many times: I'm not trusting desis anymore.