Training policy: Paid house jobs being considered for private college graduates

LAHORE:

The Health Department is considering revising its policy to offer paid house jobs to graduates of private medical colleges, The Express Tribune has learnt.

Under the current policy, teaching hospitals give preference to their own graduates for paid house jobs. Second preference is fresh graduates from other public medical institutions in the province. They, too, are paid.

Hospitals are allowed to offer honorary house jobs to graduates from recognised private medical institutions and graduates from foreign medical institutions registered with the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council if seats remain vacant and if it is considered necessary for good patient care.

The policy states that graduates of private medical colleges and foreign graduates must not be given paid house jobs.

Health Department Additional Secretary (Technical) Salman Shahid said the department hadn’t yet revised the policy but was considering it. “We believe that private graduates shouldn’t be given paid house jobs but the YDA is insisting on this. Therefore, we are considering changing the policy,” he added.

YDA General Secretary Tajammul Butt said the YDA had demanded that if there vacancies, they should be given to foreign and private medical college graduates.

A professor requesting anonymity said amending the policy under YDA’s pressure would be counterproductive.

“By offering paid house jobs to graduates of private universities and foreign graduates, the department would be denying graduates from public medical colleges a chance to get paid training,” he said.

“This will also impact teaching standards.

According to PMDC rules, there shouldn’t be more than five house officers for each bed in a ward. The current ratio is more than this,” said another professor requesting anonymity.

“The PMDC had made it mandatory for private medical colleges to provide house jobs to their graduates,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 29^th, 2015.