PESHAWAR: The medical teaching institutions located in districts other than Peshawar require better government funding for procuring equipment, purchasing more medicines and recruiting required staff members to improve patient care, say officials.

They told Dawn that the government concentrated more on Peshawar-based MTIs, so those operating in other districts didn’t receive the required assistance from the government, forcing visitors to go to the provincial capital, making its MTIs overflowing with patients and causing bed shortages.

Peshawar has five of the total 11 MTIs functioning in the province.

The officials said members of the MTI Policy Board recently visited hospitals in different districts to know about their issues and help them improve patient care.

Official complains no extra money received in seven years to buy equipment, make recruitment

They said eleven MTIs had their own boards of governors that looked to the board to take up their problems with the government and secure funds.

The officials insisted that the Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar, which, according to the chief minister, was getting around Rs8 billion from the government every year but the services provided to visitors weren’t up to the mark.

They said the bulk of funds released to MTIs in other districts, like Mardan, Nowshera, Swabi, Dera Ismail Khan and Bannu, was consumed by salaries of staff members and utility and medical oxygen bills, leaving a few millions to purchase medicines and equipment and recruit staff members.

The officials said many MTIs had been operating with equipment, which were procured years ago and required replacement, but a lack of funds blocked the procurement of CT machines and Cath labs and installation of MRI scanners.

A MTI medical director (MD) told Dawn that they hadn’t received any additional funds to purchase equipment or hire people for the last seven years though the patient flow doubled.

Director of another MTI said funds were desperately needed for repairs and medicine purchases as the government wanted to ensure provision of free medicines to all patients in wards and emergency departments.

“We need money to ensure availability of all facilities so that the patients get services locally to prevent their departure to Peshawar where bed occupancy rate is already above 100 per cent,” he said.

Another MD told Dawn that the Policy Board was required to ensure that all medical teaching institutions adopt uniform policies with regard to the qualifications of executives and give them guidelines regarding the promotion of facility and other staff.

“We have informed the chairman to take up their issues with the government regarding availability of funds as all the MTIs were public institutions and required uniformed treatments,” he said.

The MD said every MTI received around one million or more patients every year who were provided with tertiary care.

“Strengthening MTIs will benefit patients in their own districts and reduce burden on Peshawar’s hospitals,” he said.

The medical director complained that some MTIs didn’t even have MRI scanners, while others had just one CT scanners, forcing patients to go to Peshawar.

“A single MRI scanner costs more than Rs600 million for which only the government can help us,” he said.

Of late, Policy Board chairman Prof Nausherwan Barki visited MTIs and held meetings with their executives. He has planned more such visits next month.

“We’re going to be much more closely involved in helping MTIs achieve certain set parameters and improve to the best possible level,” Prof Barki told Dawn.

A MTI MD said that the chairman would be formally informed about different salary packages given to the people holding the same positions and qualifications in different medical teaching institutions.

“The government needs to extend more support to the employees posted outside Peshawar as they can play significant roles in improving patient care. We hope that PB will secure more funds for us,” he said.

Published in Dawn, February 22nd, 2026