PMA leadership row: South Punjab president ‘delaying elections’

Members demand immediate election of a new executive body

MULTAN: Scores of members of the Pakistan Medical Association (South Punjab) have accused the PMA president of delaying election of a new leadership of the association for six years. They have expressed their reservation over suspension of democratic process and accused the president of controlling the association’s affairs in violation of its constitution. They have demanded that an election should immediately be held for transfer of control over administrative affairs to a new leadership.

PMA members, including a senior vice president of the South Punjab chapter, have held the incumbent president responsible for lack of an election since 2010.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, they said that the PMA constitution required election of a new leadership every year.

Earlier on Friday, a group of PMA members had raised the issue in a press conference.  They had said that it was debated extensively at a general body meeting held last Monday. “There was consensus among members that an election should be called without delay,” they said.

Speaking at the press conference, Associate Professor of Surgery Dr Masudur Rauf said that the association had been unable to bring up with the Health Department issues faced by doctors as well as patients at major hospitals across south Punjab in the absence of a representative leadership.

Dr Sheikh Abdul Khaliq; Dr Zulqarnain; Dr Bilal Saeed and Dr Imran Rafiq were also present at the press conference.

Among the issues not being taken up by the current president was the demand for upgrade of Nishtar Hospital to the status of a university, lack of adequate facilities to cater to the demand and shortage of teaching staff, they said.

PMA south Punjab chapter president Dr Shahid Rao denied the allegation that he was preventing the election of a new leadership. He said there had been no election for six years because of the lack of contestants. “Every year, we announce an election through advertisements in the press but we don’t get applicants for all of the seven offices,” he said. He said he had published advertisements seeking applications from prospective contestants this year as well. “I will hold an election in August if I get nominations for all seven seats by July,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 16^th, 2016.