ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has voiced strong concern over raids conducted by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) at private healthcare facilities, urging the prime minister to take immediate notice of what it described as “aggressive” and “commando-style” actions by tax officials.
In a statement, the representative body of doctors said the unannounced and forceful entry of FBR teams into private clinics and hospitals particularly in Punjab has reached an unacceptable level of harassment.
PMA Secretary General Dr Abdul Ghafoor Shoro warned that such practices threaten the very foundation of healthcare delivery in the country. He said recent raids that led to the suspension of Outpatient Department (OPD) services were not mere administrative actions but amounted to direct interference in patient care and a violation of the sanctity of life-saving institutions.
According to the association, the presence of enforcement officials inside clinics creates fear, causes psychological distress to patients, and disrupts surgical and medical teams.
“Tax collection must never come at the cost of human life. Doctors are not traders, and hospitals are not retail outlets,” Dr Shoro said, adding that the private healthcare sector caters to more than 70 per cent of Pakistan’s population. Treating healthcare providers as commercial vendors, he noted, reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of the profession.
While reaffirming respect for the rule of law, the PMA stressed that audits should be carried out through documented and professional channels rather than through forceful raids that “victimise healers.” Such actions, it said, discourage professional excellence and contribute to the brain drain of skilled medical professionals.
The association maintained that doctors were willing to fulfil their tax obligations, provided there was transparency and accountability in the use of public funds. It demanded that taxes paid by healthcare professionals should not be wasted on what it termed the “luxurious lifestyles of the ruling elite.”
Calling on the prime minister and the finance minister to intervene, the PMA demanded an immediate halt to what it described as aggressive enforcement tactics. Dr Shoro warned that if the FBR failed to stop the alleged harassment, the association would be left with no option but to announce a nationwide suspension of medical services, placing responsibility for any resulting healthcare crisis squarely on the authorities.
In December 2025, the FBR began deploying Inland Revenue Service (IRS) officers to commercial hospitals and clinics as part of a shift toward on-site monitoring, following concerns over low tax compliance among doctors for the tax year 2025.
Official FBR data shows that a significant portion of the medical profession remains outside the tax net. Of the 319,572 registered doctors in the country, only 130,243—around 40.75 per cent—are registered for income tax. Even among these, just 56,267 doctors filed income tax returns, with many declaring very low annual incomes.
