Multan: Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has demanded the federal government to address doctors’ concerns over the FBR’s digital invoicing and Point of Sale (POS) system, and formulate a transparent, workable and mutually acceptable mechanism through negotiations with medical representatives.
Announcing a complete strike by private hospitals and clinics on September 30, PMA Multan office-bearers said medical services would remain suspended across Multan and other parts of South Punjab in protest against what they termed the FBR’s ‘harsh policies’ towards the private healthcare sector. Speaking at a press conference at Multan Press Club here on Tuesday, PMA Multan President, Prof Dr Masood-ur-Rauf Haraj said the FBR was implementing a POS-based digital invoicing system at doctors’ private hospitals and clinics, raising serious concerns about the proposed deployment of inspectors inside healthcare facilities.
He said direct intervention in patients’ affairs could compromise patient privacy and medical confidentiality and adversely affect the dignity and sanctity of the medical profession. The PMA president clarified that doctors and private healthcare institutions were paying taxes in accordance with the law and had no objection to paying legitimate taxes.
PMA Multan General Secretary Dr Imran Haider Qaisrani said the medical community’s opposition was not against taxation but against a mechanism that treated healthcare like an ordinary retail business. He said public hospitals had limited resources and millions of patients depended on private clinics and hospitals for healthcare. The private sector was playing an important role in reducing the burden on the country’s healthcare system, he added. Dr Qaisrani said imposing additional taxation and administrative requirements on private healthcare institutions could increase their operational costs and ultimately burden patients and the general public.
President Private Hospitals Association Prof Dr Shahid Rao, Prof Dr Tariq Waqar, Dr Waqas Imran, Dr Ismail Bashir, Dr Akmal Madni, Dr Irfan Paracha, Dr Zulqarnain Haider and Dr Waqar Niazi said the FBR should take into account the nature and ground realities of the healthcare sector while expanding the tax net and documenting the economy. They questioned why a simple, transparent and workable tax mechanism could not be developed through negotiations with the medical community. They said a mutually agreed system could help the government achieve its tax documentation objectives without placing an unnecessary burden on healthcare providers.
The PMA representatives said the association had been raising the issue at various forums since January 2026 and had conveyed its concerns to the FBR Chairman and other relevant authorities, but the matter had become more complicated instead of being resolved. When approached, Chief Commissioner Inland Revenue Dr Sarmad Qureshi informed that they would implement the policy formulated by the FBR headquarters. Regarding strike announced by the PMA, he stated that it was their right and no one could challenge it.