Peshawar: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has enacted long-awaited laws to ensure tariffs on health care workers and the rights and confidentiality of patients during hospital acceptance in hospitals to protect health care workers from violence.
Notice issued by Dr. Shahid Yunis, Director General of Health Services, orders regional directors, district health officials, medical directors and medical teaching institutions to comply with Khyber Pakhwa Healthcare service providers and facilities (prevent Violeni damage to property) Behavior2020, to protect healthcare service providers, patients and institutions from illegal activities against medical services.
They were directed to spread the bill widely to all health care facilities across the province to report violence, property damage or incidents of damage to health care services to the coordination departments of Peshawar to serve immediately, to serve immediately. Enforce the law.
The notice is also about the number of incidents and the number of police officers to ensure strict compliance with the laws of their respective jurisdictions and further disseminated to the medical facility for information and implementation.
The bill also protects the rights of patients
Another notice issued by Minister of Health Shahidullah Khan requires the General Administration Health Service to consolidate the information and provide it to the health department for recording, monitoring and further necessary actions.
Meanwhile, officials said the provincial council passed the same law in 2020, but it remains in a dilemma despite medical staff requiring enforcement.
Healthcare providers have been watching strikes that do not enforce the law to protect them from violence in hospitals.
Officials enforcing the law said the violence prompted the health department to introduce laws to protect health workers so patients can be treated unhindered.
Under the law, violators face serious fines and imprisonment.
Under Section 3 of the law, any act of violence against a health care provider or property damage in a health care facility may be punished.
Anyone who violates the act will be sentenced to three years in prison and fined up to Rs 50,000.
Its Part 1 says that offenders should pay compensation to health care services, which is twice the price of damaged medical equipment purchased and the damage to property that the court may determine.
If the offender does not pay compensation under paragraph 2, the amount shall be recovered as if he is owed to his land income. It said that any offence committed under article 3 shall be endorsed and cannot be released on bail.
In addition to providing protection to healthcare providers, the law also makes it binding on healthcare facilities, thus providing medical information to patients.
The law says that every healthcare service agency has the responsibility to provide in writing complete information about medical information provided by such healthcare service agencies to patients in Shells of the above-mentioned institutions or their designated relatives.
Health professionals appreciate the departments that enforce the law. On September 10, staff of the TB Control Programme were with Hayatabad The medical complex triggered a physical outbreak between them and subsequent strikes, prompting the health department to enforce the law.
Provincial Doctors, Associations, Association of Young Doctors, Dr. Malgary and INSAF Doctors Forum appreciates the government’s decision to implement the law, saying it will be protected from violence as patients.
Under the law, patients have the right to thoroughly document their treatment, and those lawsuits against violence against health workers will face legal action.
Officials say the Ministry of Health Department Reform (HSRU) is working to create rules to end strikes and protests by health workers.
They said the department completed the law through the advice of Khyber Medical University after collecting data on violence in different hospitals in the country.
Posted at Dawn on September 21, 2025
