‘Privatisation’ fears: With new boss, Pims’ transition to autonomy moves on
SZABMU still faces issues despite completion of massively delayed executive posting.
SZABMU still faces issues despite completion of massively delayed executive posting. PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD:
A year-long tug of war over the top job at the capital’s newest medical college finally came to an end on Tuesday, with Dr Javed Akram taking the helm at Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University (SZABMU).
Akram was previously the principal of Allama Iqbal Medical College, and was nominated to take charge as vice chancellor of the university by the president and prime minister last week.
The university’s top post has been vacant for over a year — since the university was approved by the previous government — with a majority of the senior staff at Pims fighting each other for the job.
Moreover, this will mark the metamorphosis of the capital’s largest public referral hospital into an autonomous body, as all administrative powers will be shifted from the Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) to the Pims administration over the next six months, according to Pims spokesperson Dr Ayesha Ehsani.
After this, all hospital employees will lose their status as civil servants and poor patients might not be able to avail free treatment, she said.
Talking to The Express Tribune, a senior Pims official said that Pims will essentially become a private hospital responsible for generating its own revenues.
He said that an average of 1,100 patients visit the hospital’s emergency department every day, while another 3,000 visit its various outpatient departments (OPD). The total annual budget allotted by the federal government is Rs3 billion.
“It will be difficult for the hospital to generate this amount of money every year, and it will definitely be done by charging patients higher fees. One wonders where all these poor patients will go,” said the official.
He added that after this “disastrous move”, the only option left for patients will be to go to the Polyclinic, which itself faces an acute staff shortage, and problems with other its medical facilities.
The official said that the government should seriously consider this matter and make the necessary amendments in the SZABMU Act to stop the public hospital from turning into a private entity.
“The PPP government did this, but the government can secure the status of the hospital by making necessary amendments in the bill,” said the official.
Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University
Talking to The Express Tribune, an official looking after university affairs who requested anonymity said the one year delay has seriously affected the project.
“Now everything will have to be done from scratch, which will take another six to eight months,” he lamented.
The official said that earlier, the university was supposed to temporarily shift in to five of the six blocks in the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) building at the National Institute of Health (NIH). However, due to the one-year delay, these blocks have been occupied by officials of other health programmes.
Moreover, the previous government gave 11 buses to the university, none of which are in use.
The official further said that earlier, the university building was supposed to be constructed within the hospital premises but a recent decision has been made to build it in Chak Shehzad.
“A meeting is being scheduled with the President this month where we will ask him to allot six acres of land for the construction of the university, and more land to construct a colony for its employees,” said the official.
Regarding university faculty, he said there are 51 professors, 85 associated professors, 69 assistant professors and 46 female registrars responsible for teaching students.
On enrolment, the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), after examining the infrastructure of the university will decide whether the number of students enrolled per year is to be 100 or 200, said the official.3
Published in The Express Tribune, January 8th, 2014.
A year-long tug of war over the top job at the capital’s newest medical college finally came to an end on Tuesday, with Dr Javed Akram taking the helm at Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University (SZABMU).
Akram was previously the principal of Allama Iqbal Medical College, and was nominated to take charge as vice chancellor of the university by the president and prime minister last week.
The university’s top post has been vacant for over a year — since the university was approved by the previous government — with a majority of the senior staff at Pims fighting each other for the job.
Moreover, this will mark the metamorphosis of the capital’s largest public referral hospital into an autonomous body, as all administrative powers will be shifted from the Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) to the Pims administration over the next six months, according to Pims spokesperson Dr Ayesha Ehsani.
After this, all hospital employees will lose their status as civil servants and poor patients might not be able to avail free treatment, she said.
Talking to The Express Tribune, a senior Pims official said that Pims will essentially become a private hospital responsible for generating its own revenues.
He said that an average of 1,100 patients visit the hospital’s emergency department every day, while another 3,000 visit its various outpatient departments (OPD). The total annual budget allotted by the federal government is Rs3 billion.
“It will be difficult for the hospital to generate this amount of money every year, and it will definitely be done by charging patients higher fees. One wonders where all these poor patients will go,” said the official.
He added that after this “disastrous move”, the only option left for patients will be to go to the Polyclinic, which itself faces an acute staff shortage, and problems with other its medical facilities.
The official said that the government should seriously consider this matter and make the necessary amendments in the SZABMU Act to stop the public hospital from turning into a private entity.
“The PPP government did this, but the government can secure the status of the hospital by making necessary amendments in the bill,” said the official.
Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University
Talking to The Express Tribune, an official looking after university affairs who requested anonymity said the one year delay has seriously affected the project.
“Now everything will have to be done from scratch, which will take another six to eight months,” he lamented.
The official said that earlier, the university was supposed to temporarily shift in to five of the six blocks in the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) building at the National Institute of Health (NIH). However, due to the one-year delay, these blocks have been occupied by officials of other health programmes.
Moreover, the previous government gave 11 buses to the university, none of which are in use.
The official further said that earlier, the university building was supposed to be constructed within the hospital premises but a recent decision has been made to build it in Chak Shehzad.
“A meeting is being scheduled with the President this month where we will ask him to allot six acres of land for the construction of the university, and more land to construct a colony for its employees,” said the official.
Regarding university faculty, he said there are 51 professors, 85 associated professors, 69 assistant professors and 46 female registrars responsible for teaching students.
On enrolment, the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), after examining the infrastructure of the university will decide whether the number of students enrolled per year is to be 100 or 200, said the official.3
Published in The Express Tribune, January 8th, 2014.