LAHORE, Jan 17: The College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP) has offered to send FCPS-II trainees to district headquarters hospitals for six months in the last year of their training, if the Punjab government upgrades the hospitals.

The CPSP has asked the Punjab government to organize inspection of DHQ hospitals in collaboration with the college for the selection of few pilot hospitals in the first phase.

This was stated by CPSP president Prof Dr Sultan Farooqui while speaking at the pre-convocation press conference at college's regional centre on Monday. The CPSP's 39th convocation will be held at Aiwan-i-Iqbal on Tuesday (today) where some 595 fellows receive their diplomas. Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi is expected to chair the convocation.

Prof Farooqui said the CPSP wanted the Punjab government to upgrade operation theatres, laboratories, labour rooms, X-ray and other auxiliary facilities in the DHQ hospitals.

"When the CPSP inspectors will select best DHQ hospitals for the pilot project, the college will make it mandatory for the FCPS-II trainees to serve at DHQ hospitals for six months," he said.

He said the Punjab health minister had responded positively and assured that the required facilities would be provided at the DHQ hospitals. He hoped that the first batch of the FCPS-II trainees would be sent to the selected DHQ hospitals in the next six months.

Prof Farooqui said it would be the best way to send qualified doctors to districts and expose them to different kinds of diseases, administrative and social problems in the rural areas.

Answering a question, the CPSP president said that very little finances would be involved in the project because the trainees were already getting their stipend from the institutions, they were registered with.

Prof Farooqui said the CPSP was also taking this proposal to the NWFP government soon. Answering a question about the exorbitant fees being charged from trainees, Prof Farooqui dispelled the impression stating that the college charged only Rs54,500 under the heads of examination, dissertation assessment fees and three to four mandatory workshops per candidate in four years.

He said the trainees in surgery paid Rs64,000 in four years. While, the CPSP had ensured that each trainee would get Rs10,000 stipend per month. He also stated that this fee was fixed two years ago and would remain frozen for the next two years.

"Those, who were making hue and cry about exorbitant fees, actually wanted the CPSP to stop holding mandatory workshops," he claimed. He said the CPSP was also going to make it mandatory for all private hospitals, recognized for training, to pay all college dues of their trainees besides giving them Rs10,000 stipend.

He said the college had also reduced costs by establishing 12 regional centres in the country and offering services to candidates at their doorsteps. He said each centre had been equipped with internet research access centres, e-library and workshop halls.

Earlier, he said, each candidate was required to attend workshops as well as a convocation at Karachi. Answering a question, Prof Farooqui claimed that some 22 per cent trainees were getting training at the CPSP recognized private hospitals.

He also claimed that the training being imparted at private hospitals was cent per cent better than that being offered at public sector hospitals. He said that most private hospitals had been derecognized on the basis that they were not giving stipend to their registered trainees.

The CPSP president said the college had 116 recognized public and private hospitals where 1,150 approved teachers were imparting training to the FCPS-II trainees. At present, he said, 6,500 medical graduates were getting FCPS-II training all over the country. Since its inception in 1962, he said the college had produced 12,500 specialists in 52 specialities.

Now, he said, 1,500 specialists were passing out every year. He also claimed that 80 per cent medical specialists and 95 dentist specialists in the country had been produced by the CPSP.

Prof Farooqui said the college had also established its centres in Ryadh, Jeddah and Kathmandu. He said the FCPS had also been equated with the FCPS Canada and American Specialists Board.

He said the Kuwait's Higher Education Commission had recently equated FCPS with PhD and offering three different level jobs -- super specialists, consultants and senior registrar. CPSP vice-president Prof Dr Rashid Latif Khan and convocation's chief organizer Prof Dr Sibitul Hasnain also spoke.