LAHORE: The Punjab government has put Health Secretary Ali Jan on forced leave following a privilege motion filed by treasury members in the Punjab Assembly.
This move came in response to MPAs’ dissatisfaction with his performance and their calls for improved monitoring of hospitals across the province.
Azmat Mahmood has been appointed as the new Secretary of the Specialized Healthcare Department, while Nadia Saqib has been named Secretary of the Primary Healthcare Department.
Sources reveal that MPAs had made several recommendations to Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to enhance hospital oversight and lodged complaints against Ali Jan.
Moreover, they alleged that he advised hospital management to ignore their suggestions and instructed them to keep a record of the recommendations, escalating tensions between him and the lawmakers. The MPAs believe that Ali Jan violated the chief minister’s directives.
Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz recently assigned MPAs the responsibility of monitoring hospital performance, which further strained relations with the health secretary.
Ali Jan, who has served as health secretary for the past 18 months under the caretaker government and previously during former Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s tenure, has expressed a desire to return to the development sector, citing his decade-long experience in government and development work.
