Shahzad Naveed
Swat: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Swat has strongly rejected the provincial government’s decision to convert Saidu Teaching Hospital into a Medical Teaching Institution (MTI), labelling it a “public-hostile move” and a step toward depriving the region’s people of basic health facilities.
Addressing a press conference in Swat, PPP District President Saleem Khan, alongside Malakand Division President Malik Akram Khan, senior lawyers including Shamsher Ali Khan Advocate, Akhtar Munir Advocate, Arshad Khan Advocate, Dunya Zaib Advocate, Shaukat Saleem Advocate, and other prominent party leaders such as Dr. Prince Fazal Rahman, Riaz Ahmed Khan Advocate, and Samiullah Khan, condemned the government’s health policies.
Saleem Khan criticised the KP government for what he described as its “complete failure” in both the health and education sectors. “The PTI government earlier implemented a contractor-based system at Lady Reading Hospital, causing significant distress to the public. Now they are planning to inflict similar hardship on the people of Swat through the MTI model,” he said.
PPP leaders announced that the People’s Lawyers Forum will file a writ petition in the Peshawar High Court challenging the MTI decision. They also warned the provincial government that if the decision is not withdrawn, the party will escalate its protest campaign across Swat and beyond.
“This is an attack on the right to free and accessible healthcare,” said Khan. “We will resist this decision at every forum. We will not allow any compromise on public rights or the imposition of any foreign agenda.”
The PPP’s stance signals a growing opposition to the MTI model, which critics argue leads to the commercialisation of healthcare services, limiting access for underprivileged communities.
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