Unfulfilled promises: Fate of FATA medical college hangs in the balance

The project has been moved across several agencies in the past few years.

PESHAWAR: The much-awaited medical college for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) remains incomplete due to differences between former elected representatives on where to construct it.

The medical college will be a milestone for the tribal people, but no ground work has started on the institution as yet. The project was included in the Annual Development Programme (ADP) scheme in 2004 and 2005, and Rs10 million was allocated for it.

In 2008, former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani announced the institution would be set up in Kurram. However, due to security concerns the college plan was shifted to Khyber Agency.

Later, the FATA Secretariat decided to move the project to North Waziristan where 500 kanals of land were donated by tribesmen. This shifting continued when it was moved to Bajaur Agency in 2012.

Malik Salih Jan, a tribal elder from North Waziristan, maintained the Utmanzai tribe donated the land required for the college after an agreement with the political agent, head of Communication and Works (C&W) Department and the agency surgeon. He said all the tribes and the North Waziristan council led by Hafiz Gul Bahadur had taken responsibility for providing security to the college’s teachers, students and staff.



Jan further said tribesmen had approached the Fata additional chief secretary and other senior officials at the secretariat in Peshawar several times, only to be told leaders in their region were not interested in establishing the medical college.

Jan claimed this was a conspiracy against the people of North Waziristan.

On the other hand, tribesmen of Bajaur and Mohmand appreciated the move, not only for the uplift of Fata, but for Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) as well.

Fazal Akbar Safi, a student at Khyber Medical College (KMC), said the facility would benefit Mohmand and Bajaur. “A teaching hospital needs to be established and this will improve doctors’ training,” he added.

Azizuallah Khan, another student at KMC, said the institute would help overcome a sense of deprivation, and tribal students would not have to face problems by leaving their native areas for education. “This was a much needed step for them (the students) and will provide necessary medical facilities whilst creating awareness.”

Khan said competition remains tough in some of the medical institutions and poor people are often left out. “Now they can have access to medical education in their own areas,” he added.

Director of Health Services in Fata, Dr Fawad Khan, said the aim of the college was to provide relief to poor people in the tribal belt.

He said although seats were reserved for tribal students in most institutions, they did not cater to the needs of the people. “It is important to help underdeveloped areas and this facility will provide that,” he added.

Fawad said another benefit of the college would be the availability of low cost facilities at the doorstep of tribal people. He maintained this was an ambitious project and that its completion would take a minimum of three years.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 22^nd, 2013.