LAHORE, March 6: Punjab Health Minister Dr Tahir Ali Javed has admitted that the government project of hiring specialist doctors at tehsil level has completely failed.

He was speaking at the inaugural session of the two-day National Urological Conference organized by the Pakistan Association of Urological Surgeons (PAUS), Lahore Chapter, at a local hotel on Saturday.

"Even higher salary of Rs25,000 a month could not attract the specialists to rural areas."

Dr Javed said the Punjab government was now working on a new service structure to attract young doctors to big medical institutions. "Pakistanis do exceptionally well abroad but they are frustrated when they wish to work in Pakistan," he said.

He said his department wanted special status for doctors instead of treating them at par with officials of other departments.

"The matter which has been taken up with the chief minister faces opposition from some quarters," he said, advising medical profession leaders to be more vocal to get a new service structure.

Speaking about the illegal sale and transplantation of kidneys, he said a mafia was involved in this practice. He said the issue was also raised in the assembly but, honestly, he had no answer.

He said it was a challenge for the urological surgeons in particular and medical professionals in general to purge the society of this menace.

Lauding the efforts of the Sindh government for the establishment of kidney transplant centre, he announced that a committee comprising kidney, liver, bone marrow experts would be constituted to work on the establishment of a kidney and liver transplant institution. He said the government would provide land and funds for the establishment of the centre. He said the health department would finalize the committee within two weeks.

Later, talking to reporters, Dr Javed said the government would take action on the reported incidents about the illegal sale and transplantation of kidneys.

Regarding a recent incident of illegal kidney transplant at a private medical complex, the minister said the health department would soon conduct an inquiry.He said the Punjab government also wanted to make legislation for the kidney, liver, bone marrow and cornea transplantation.

Earlier, PAUS president Prof Dr M Nawaz Chughtai urged the health minister to declare the urology as an 'essential speciality' and establish an independent institute of urology and transplantation.

At present, he said, there was not a single unit where such facilities were available under one roof at the provincial level.

Besides training young urologists, Prof Chughtai said there was a need to create jobs with better pay and service structure. He said that many posts of urologists had been lying vacant but there was no system to select trained people.

He said the PAUS could establish a centre of excellence in each academic institution with official help.

Later, the health minister presented life-time achievement awards to senior urologists Prof Fateh Akhtar Khan and Prof Farrukh Ahmad Khan.