KARACHI: The government of Sindh and its officials are not serious about the issues universities are going through, claimed Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association (Fapuasa) general secretary Dr Shakeel Farooqui during a combined press conference with the Pakistan Medical Association's (PMA) newly-elected members on Friday.
"Our universities are working on an ad hoc system, there is no permanent administration while [people] have been appointed acting directors and vice-chancellor until further orders," said Dr Farooqi, adding that the CM declared an emergency in the health and education sectors but should now start delivering.
PMA's general secretary Dr Qaiser Sajjad said the association will take up the issue of falling standards of medical education. "PMA will present all the previous acts together to get the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council bills passed by the parliament to resolve the present status of chaos," he explained.
The situation in the province is leading towards producing glorified quacks, not professional doctors, lamented Dr Sajjad. Medical universities mushroomed in the last 15 years without planning and proper legislation, which is the main issue behind this, because the province was never in a position to open and run that many medical institutes, but no one bothered, he explained.
Sajjad also emphasised the need to implement the Healthcare Commission Bill in Sindh, saying they will enhance their struggle to appeal to the CM to take action in this case.
Compensation
Criticising Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's announcement of establishing 39 modern hospitals, Dr Sajjad said that the existing hospitals need more attention in Sindh as there is no clean water, washrooms or other facilities for underprivileged patients. PMA is struggling to establish at least one virology lab in each province to detect viruses, he said, adding that we only have one in Islamabad so far.
PMA also demanded that the support money for the families of 39 slain doctors be immediately released as promised by former CM Qaim Ali Shah. "Each family has to be given Rs2 million but that promise was never fulfilled," said PMA Karachi president Dr Shoukat Ali Malik.
No meetings
Talking about the health emergency, he said that their executive body appreciates the step but the CM has not replied to a letter sent to him by the PMA regarding a meeting between him and a delegation of doctors to improve the health sector.
Raising some issues on the medical colleges being upgraded to universities, Dr Farooqi said that all the colleges were changed into universities but the structure is the same. Many private medical colleges are affiliated with universities, which also bring many challenges such as medical colleges pressurising the Karachi University to increase the grace marks in examination by 30 marks. “When officials are not permanent, nothing more can be expected,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 19th, 2016.
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