18 September 2004	Saturday	02 Shaban 1425

KARACHI, Sept 17: Five hundred posts have been created for Postgraduate (PG) students registered with the Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) and its affiliated hospitals against a sanctioned amount of Rs34.155 million.

The Vice Chancellor, DUHS, Prof Masood Hammed Khan, announced this on Friday while addressing postgraduate students registered with the varsity's MD, MS and FRCPS (Part II) training programmes at a formal session held at the varsity's Anatomy department.

Mentioning that the PGs, selected through a process of a placement test, would also be entitled to a monthly stipend of Rs6,000. The VC said that it was through a notification issued only recently by the Sindh finance department in pursuance of a decision taken by Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad, that 596 posts had been sanctioned for PG students.

The seats allocation at DUHS comes to 500 followed by 60 seats at Peoples Medical College, Nawabshah and 36 at Chandka Medical College, Larkana against a total cost of Rs40.72 million.

He mentioned that seats for PG students had been created following conversion of house job posts at hospitals affiliated with the three teaching centres. The stipend amounts would be directly transferred to the personal accounts of the PGs.

According to Prof Hameed Khan, an efficient system was also being streamlined under which the performance of each PG student would be carefully assessed. A biannual report of each PG would also have to be submitted regularly by the respective supervisors, and chief of the units to which the students were associated with.

The next placement test for intending PGs willing to get attached with the DUHS would be held on September 28, he said. Meanwhile, according to the said notification, the Sindh Finance and Cooperation Department has abolished 596 vacant posts of the house job officers department and froze an amount of over Rs40 million.

The break up of the abolished house job officers posts include 200 jobs at Civil Hospital, Karachi, 60 posts at the Peoples Medical College Hospital, Nawabshah, 36 posts at Chandka Medical College and 300 at other major public sector hospitals.

Later talking to APP, Prof Hameed Khan said that seats for three institutions had been created in accordance with the needs put forward by the three centres themselves.

Similar provision also existed for the Liaquat University of Health Sciences, he said, mentioning that as soon as the latter submitted its requirements, posts and relevant allocation would be announced.

To a query, he agreed that the allotted stipend may not be sufficient enough for a medical graduate who would hence be compelled to undertake private jobs in the private sector at the cost of time required for their studies, consequently noticed to cause a delay in qualifying the postgraduate programme.

To address the issue and to facilitate students, the VC said that measures were underway to establish an endowment fund for the support of these students. It would not be out of context to mention that the stipend offered to postgraduate students of Punjab based teaching colleges was Rs10,000. - APP