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PESHAWAR, Oct 22 (APP):A petition has been filed in the Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Wednesday challenging the provincial government’s decision to privatize 24 hospitals across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The petition was submitted by Advocate Abbas Khan Sangeen who argued that the move would effectively shut the doors of public healthcare facilities to poor citizens.
In his plea, the petitioner stated that healthcare was a fundamental right guaranteed under Article 38(d) of the Constitution, which obliged the government to provide free medical services to its citizens. He warned that handing hospitals over to private contractors would lead to higher charges for check-ups, registration slips and other medical services.
The petition further contended that privatization would deteriorate the quality of healthcare services and burden the underprivileged population. Advocate Sangeen requested the court to issue immediate orders restraining the government from proceeding with the privatization plan.