PESHAWAR: Awami National Party (ANP) provincial president Mian Iftikhar Hussain has expressed full support for the ongoing protest by doctors across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, calling their demands legitimate and crucial for the improvement of healthcare services. In a statement, Mian Iftikhar said doctors were the backbone of the health system, and the delay in addressing their concerns was not only weakening medical services but also putting patients’ lives at risk. “ANP stands in complete solidarity with the medical community and remains in constant coordination with ANP Doctors Wing President Dr Kashif and General Secretary Dr Muhammad Shahzad,” he added. He criticized the provincial government, particularly the Health Minister from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), for avoiding dialogue with protesting doctors. “This irresponsible attitude highlights the government’s indifference toward the public health sector,” he stated. Mian Iftikhar also strongly condemned the provincial budget for neglecting healthcare. He pointed out that major hospitals such as Lady Reading Hospital (LRH), Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH), and Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC) have effectively been downgraded, lacking essential medicines, modern equipment, and proper consultation with senior doctors. He urged the government to immediately prioritize healthcare, resolve doctors’ issues, and restore key hospitals in Peshawar as functional, autonomous, and modern institutions to ensure quality healthcare for the public. DLP Report
