PIMS one step closer to separation from SZABMU

Draft bill will now be presented in the next session of the NA for debate and vote

ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet on Wednesday gave its nod to a proposed piece of legislation which would separate Pims from the medical university, an issue which has been lingering on for the past three years leading to several strikes and protests at the hospital.

The legislation will be presented to the parliament.

The move came after protesting medical and non-medical staff at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) — who have been protesting since October 2 and had boycotted activities at the hospital for two weeks — had announced on Saturday that unless an amendment bill was not cleared by the cabinet, all healthcare services at the hospital will be shut down with threats that the strike may expand to other healthcare facilities in the city.

The hospital staff want Pims to be separated from the Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University (SZABMU). They forced its outdoor healthcare facilities to close for two weeks. After the government conceded to their demands to take up the bill, the outpatient departments (OPDs) and laboratories started working partially. Patients were registered for check-ups and the laboratories conducted tests after 11am.

Later, OPD timings at the hospital were changed from 8am to 11 am. However, services at the hospital are still affected since the employees have been continuing their protest by staging rallies and sit-ins in the hospital while raising slogans on loudspeakers and blowing horns.

On Wednesday, the federal cabinet met with Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in the chair. It approved, in principle, a proposed draft bill to segregate Pims and SZABMU. The draft bill was approved unanimously with no minister objecting to its contents.

Minister of State for Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry briefed the cabinet on the bill  — which had been approved by the Cabinet Committee for Disposal of Legislative Cases last week — and explained the administrative requirements for segregating the university and the hospital.

Dr Chaudhry said that since 2013, when the SZABMU was created and administrative control of Pims was given to the university, strong reservations had been expressed by the hospital’s employees. This uneasiness, he said, was hindering the proper disposal of medical services to the general public. Hence separating the two would help better manage affairs of both.

The minister added that on CADD’s recommendations, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif had decided in principle to separate the two organisations last November. Subsequently, a process for preparing the draft bill was initiated in consultation with other stakeholders including the law, health and finance ministries in addition to the FPSC and the Establishment Division.

Dr Chaudhry further explained that despite the separation, the government will not change the name of SZABMU and that it will continue working as per its mandate.

Later, Pims All Employees’ Association for Restoration’s Dr Asfandyar Khan said that employees of the hospital were ecstatic to hear the news, adding that they were looking forward to seeing the National Assembly pass the bill in its upcoming session.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 26^th, 2017.