PMA condemns medical colleges’ ‘favouritism’

Members disapprove appointment of retired teachers by medical colleges.

LAHORE:

Members of the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) on Sunday criticised medical institutes for hiring retired and over-age officials, saying that this was a violation of the Supreme Court decision.

Dr Mirza Ali Azhar, the PMA central general secretary, said, qualified people were available but the institutes were not hiring them due to departmental favouritism. “I know many retired doctors who are past the retirement age and are working as staff members at medical colleges. Some of them are as old as 80 years, which is totally against the SC decision.”

The association members also demanded that medical institutes should stop hiring retired teachers and doctors. They spoke against the appointment of a retired professor as the University of Health Sciences vice chancellor.

Prof Tipu Sultan, the PMA Pakistan president, presided over the meeting and presented resolutions along with Dr Azhar.

He said that many medical colleges employed ‘incompetent staff’ who did not have MBBS degrees. “Those with MPhil and MSc degrees are not doctors. How can they then teach medical students?” he said.

Prof Sultan said, “Several part time teachers, teaching the same courses with same curriculum at various medical colleges, are being dishonest to their profession. They fail to deliver their best everywhere they teach.”

He said that the PMDC has issued no objection certificates to five students from Cuba and Kyrgyzstan to continue their third year in government medical colleges in Pakistan. “This is unlawful and the PMA will protest against this decision,” he said.

The members said that the faculty in many medical colleges was not up to the PMDC standards. They said the recognition of such colleges should be withdrawn and they should be directed to stop admissions till the arrangement of competent staff.

The association also demanded that the health care personnel service structure proposed by the federal government should be implemented throughout the country. During the meeting, a committee was constituted that was assigned to gather all details related to increments in the salaries of doctors and paramedical staff. Later, Sindh MPA Dr Samreena Hashmi took oath as the PMA Sindh president.

She said that all educational institutes must be free from political influence.

Dr Qaiser Sajjad, the PMA finance secretary, accused the media of running stories about medical negligence based on rumours. “It seems as if natural deaths cannot occur in hospitals. It is always the doctor who is blamed for negligence. People should understand that some complications are not manageable even by a specialist,” he said. If an incident occurred, it should be investigated through legal procedure instead of physically torturing the doctors, he said.

The PMA appreciated the efforts of its members who donated Rs11 million to the flood affected.

PMA president (elect) Dr Azhar Jadoon, former president Dr Sarwar Chaudhry, joint secretary Dr Shahid Malik, and PMA Punjab president Dr Ashraf Nizami were also present.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 16^th, 2011.