Hospital fee levy not my decision, says minister
Hospital fee levy not my decision, says minister
By Our Correspondent
GILGIT: Health minister Haji Gulbar Khan has said that the decision to charge Rs200 from patients at the public sector hospitals of Gilgit-Baltistan had been taken by the chief minister without taking him into confidence. Talking to this correspondent here, the minister said that Chief Minister Mehdi Shah was interfering in the affairs of ministers and taking decisions unilaterally. He said to charge fee from the poor patients was not justified. It would not help resolve the financial crisis of the region but will bring a bad name to the government, he added. He said that eh was not in support of such a decision. He added that the chief minister had taken the decision after consulting the matter with the secretary health. The minister said that providing basic healthcare facilities to the masses was the responsibility of the government. Instead of ensuring all the facilities in the hospitals, the government ahs decided to put more burden on the poor patients.
