ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PM&DC) recommended that Jinnah Sindh University Karachi be recognized, even though it has not fulfilled the required, legal procedure just to benefit some favourites.
Daily Times learnt that the PM&DC’s Ordinance stated that it was necessary for the PM&DC to inspect training facilities at medical and dental institutions before recommending them for recognition but in this case, the council flaunted the rules and issued a recommendation to the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (NHSRC) to approve recognition of Jinnah Sindh University without all that.
Jinnah Sindh University had shown the Jinnah Post Medical Center (JPMC) as its affiliated teaching hospital but the PM&DC never bothered to inspect the said hospital that was necessary step before approving recognition. A senior official of JPMC told this scribe on condition of anonymity that the said university had enrolled senior doctors of JPMC in Jinnah Sindh Medical University against top slots only on paper while the said persons continued working in hospital.
He confirmed that no inspection of JPMC hospital was done by the PM&DC teams and such a step was being taken just to benefit some people. The JPMC, he said, couldn’t be affiliated with any university as its matter was sub-judice. After the 18th Amendment in the constitution, the hospital was devolved to the Sindh government but some employees wished to remain associated with the federation and approach the apex court, he said.
The case was pending with the Supreme Court and the apex court maintained the status quo. He said inclusion of hospitals’ doctors in the faculty of Jinnah Sindh Medical University against upper grades and affiliating the hospital with the university was also violation of the status quo. The university was functioning under the Sindh government but the fate of the hospital was yet to be decided by the court.
He said a certain group of JPMC hospital was enjoying the upper grades and incentives while a big number of other employees of the same hospital were facing victimisation and delay in promotions etc. The official informed that the said university was working for the last four years without recognition that was also a violation of law. PM&DC Ordinance suggests a 5-10 year prison sentence and Rs 5 million fine or both punishments at same time for committing such an offence.
When contacted the PM&DC management claimed that all the legal procedures were followed before issuing a recommendation for the above university’s recognition by the Executive Committee of council. Dr. Anees ul Haq, the Executive Director JPMC, said that affiliation of the hospital with the university was not a violation of the court’s stay orders. The Sindh Chief Minister had ordered to affiliate this hospital with Jinnah Sindh Medical University in 2012 and the court had issued stay orders on the status quo after this.
