Peshawar — Khyber Pakhtunkhwa lawmakers have passed a fresh amendment to the Medical Teaching Institutions Reforms Act (MTIRA), requiring aggrieved employees at Medical Teaching Institutions (MTIs) to first seek resolution through their institution’s Grievance Redressal Committee (GRC) before approaching the MTI Appellate Tribunal.
This step, approved by the provincial assembly last Monday, strengthens the 2015 law designed to grant greater autonomy to government-run teaching hospitals and medical/dental colleges—ultimately improving efficiency, service quality, and healthcare delivery for people across the province.
Key Highlights
- Employees must submit a grievance petition to the GRC within 30 days of any Board of Governors (BoG) decision, penalty, termination, or service-related order.
- The GRC can grant extensions for valid delays; its rulings stand unless formally appealed.
- Direct appeals to the MTI Appellate Tribunal are now barred—employees can only escalate after the GRC process concludes.
- The change targets faster internal resolutions, lower litigation expenses for staff, and reduced workload on the tribunal (established in April 2021 to speed up MTI disputes away from regular courts).
- Applies to 11 MTI institutions province-wide, where contractual employees face BoG decisions on hiring, firing, posts, and one-line budgets.
- Health Department will back the tribunal administratively in employee-related matters.
Mandatory Grievance Step Aims to Ease Tribunal Burden
In recent years, numerous MTI workers challenged terminations or other actions directly at the tribunal, often slowing down recruitments, procurements, and day-to-day hospital functioning. Lawmakers behind the original MTIRA argue this pre-appeal filter creates a fair, institution-level avenue for settling issues early.“After the amendment, employees will go to the court only in case of their dissatisfaction with GRC’s verdict,” one of the reform’s key supporters explained.
Each MTI now maintains its own GRC to guarantee employees a proper hearing. Detailed rules on committee makeup, authority, and procedures will follow in forthcoming regulations.
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What’s Next for Grievance Handling
Regulations clarifying GRC operations are expected soon, allowing the new process to roll out fully. Staff facing service disputes must begin at the GRC level—a practical shift that promises quicker outcomes and keeps more matters resolved without escalating to formal appeals.
This measured reform highlights Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s commitment to balancing institutional autonomy with employee protections, fostering smoother operations in the public healthcare sector while safeguarding workers’ rights.
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