Nepotism?: ‘Unrealistic’ packages for medical professors

The appointments in the medical colleges were made totally on political grounds and personal links, sources say.

MUZAFFARABAD:

Two medical colleges in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) are paying high salaries to professors allegedly hired on political grounds, it has been learnt.

Sources said that during the hiring process at Mirwaiz Molvi Muhammad Farooq Medical College, Muzaffarabad and Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Medical College, Mirpur, the specialists and   surgeons of AJK Health Department were totally ignored.



On the other hand, the new recruits were offered lucrative packages - the principals got Rs0.5 million, the professors got Rs0.426 million, the associate professors got Rs0.35 million, the assistant professors got Rs0.2 million  and the senior lecturers Rs0.1 million respectively.

Earlier, the medical colleges received Rs2.7 billion and Rs3.176 billion respectively, approved by the National Economic Council Executive Committee.

Meanwhile, the faculties of the medical colleges including 42 and 23 health department specialists, were receiving monthly allowance of Rs0.3 million and Rs0.2 million respectively.

The sources further said that besides working in medical colleges, the professors are also earning through private clinics in Rawalpindi and Islamabad. “The appointments in the medical colleges were made totally on political grounds and personal links,” the sources alleged.

Meanwhile, despite repeated attempts at their phones, neither the spokespersons for the medical colleges nor the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Minister for Health Sardar Qamar Zaman could not be contacted.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 6^th, 2013.