Medical university bill: JPMC staff joins protest

KARACHI: The Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) staff held a demonstration against the proposed Jinnah Sindh Medical University bill on Thursday.

According to a statement released by JPMC’s joint executive director Dr Seemin Jamali, the bill is an attempt to close the doors of higher medical teaching and training for students of rural Sindh, Balochistan and other areas. It added that this bill violates the orders of the Sindh High Court as the provincial assembly cannot formulate a law on subjects in the federal legislative list, under section 142 of the constitution.

The provincial assembly also does not have the power to legislate on the ministry of defence land, which is where the Sindh Medical College/University is located. Dr Jamali stated that the JPMC staff are employees of the federal government and are on deputation to the Sindh government and, therefore, cannot be absorbed into Sindh Medical University. The basic rights of government servants, such as seniority and promotions, will be infringed if JPMC is amalgamated with Sindh Medical University.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 7^th, 2012.