President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday advised the federal government to upgrade Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) into a medical university.
In a meeting at the presidency, he proposed that the university be named Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University (SZABMU).
The university will be established within the hospital premises.
A proposed draft bill for the university has been submitted to the Law Ministry by the Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) and is likely to be tabled in parliament during the ongoing session, said government officials.
Even though the project is pending the parliament’s approval, an official said that Rs3 billion have already been approved for it, and will be released in three phases by 2014.
In the briefing, the president said the government recognises the paucity of medical research institutions and feels that upgrading PIMS to a university would greatly help in meeting the requirements of a state-of-the-art medical university in the capital, said a press release issued by the presidency.
CADD Minister Nazar Muhammad Gondal, Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, Secretary General to the President Salman Farooqi, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Dr Nadeemul Haq, HEC Chairman Dr Javed Leghari, Secretary to the President Malik Asif Hayat and other senior officials attended the meeting.
Giving details of the project, Gondal said the proposed constituent institutions of SZABMU would be Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Federal Medical and Dental College, College of Nursing, School of Nursing and the College of Medical Technology.
The proposed affiliated institutions of the new university would include the Health Services Academy, Pakistan Medical Research Council and National Institute of Health.
Federal Government Poly Clinic, National Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, Federal General Hospital, CDA Hospital, satellite hospitals, Rural Health Centres and Basic Health Units and all dispensaries of ICT have been proposed to be attached to the new teaching hospital.
PIMS is providing specialist training in 28 disciplines including general medicine, surgery and dentistry, Gondal told the meeting. Currently, there are 550 resident doctors under training at PIMS, which is also providing post graduate training to nurses and basic nursing education.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 13th, 2012.
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