Reema Ayub – Where Psychology Meets Corporate

The Government of Punjab often announces subsidies and schemes in the name of “free healthcare,” as if these policies are a healing touch to the masses. DHQ (District Headquarters) hospitals are officially equipped with facilities, medicines, and staff to serve low-income individuals—especially those with chronic illnesses and mental health concerns. On paper, these subsidies appear generous and progressive. In reality, they are simply numbers to balance a budget—nothing more than superficial declarations to fulfill statistical promises. The deeper one goes inside these hospital walls, the more visible becomes a culture of hierarchy, gatekeeping, and systemic control, all held by the hands of medical superintendents (MS) and doctors who have transformed public care into psychological warfare. As a clinical psychologist, I have witnessed how the power structure in government hospitals—especially DHQs—functions more like a command post than a healing institution. Those who are mentally u...