Not qualified: Paediatric urology surgeries conducted by non-specialists

Officials of Institute of Kidney Disease say no space for such surgeons

PESHAWAR: Posts have been advertised since November 2014, but the Institute of Kidney Disease has not hired paediatric urology surgeons. As a result, operations are being carried out on children by surgeons who are not specialists in the field.

According to some officials, parents have been compelled to shift their children to Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) in Karachi for treatment. They say over 30% patients treated at IKD are children and a large number of them come either from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Federally Administered Tribal Areas or Afghanistan.

Mismanaging HR

Initial scrutiny to hire a paediatric urologist was completed in early 2015. However, officials at Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC), which houses the IKD, allege administrative affairs were mismanaged on a higher level. They put the blame squarely on the shoulders of the then chief executive of IKD Dr Mumtaz Marwat. On February 12, 2015 Marwat said the process of appointing urologists was under way and a thorough scrutiny was being conducted. However, even after 17 months, the posts are still vacant.

Last week, some other officials said interviews for junior officers were carried out in first week of January.

No room for surgeons

“A major reason given for not hiring specialist surgeons is that there is no space for doctors or their patients,” said an official. He added even though a no-objection certificate was obtained, the specialist surgeon was not hired.

When asked, IKD Director Nasir Orakzai said hiring is “a work in progress” and cites the “lack of space” as the reason for not hiring a paediatric urology surgeon. He reiterated there was limited capacity and IKD can only accommodate adult patients. He said surgeries for children were being carried out in the facility and the staff was trained to undertake such operations.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 20^th, 2016.