PESHAWAR, March 16: Students of the girls’ campus of the Khyber Medical College (KMC) have expressed concern over the change of status of their college. About a year ago, some 46 girl students of Ayub Medical College, Abbottabad; Gomal Medical College, Dera Ismail Khan; and Saidu Medical College, Swat, opted to join the girls’ campus of the KMC.

After one year, the college administration informed the students that their college would function as Khyber Girls Medical College, an independent college for female medical students.

“I left a recognised medical college and opted for the 50-year old KMC and not for some unrecognised new medical college which does not have even its own faculty and its own labs,” said one medical student at the campus which is now called Khyber Girls Medical College (KGMC).

Students of the KGMC were informed to return their college identity cards to the administration some two months ago so that the name of the institution could be changed.

“We were enrolled at the girls’ campus as KMC students and the card was valid for five years,” said a second-year student.

Students were allowed to use laboratory and library of the KMC and teachers of the KMC were teaching at the KGMC for one year. More than 20 girls were living in the hostel of the KMC.

“This year we were not allowed to take part in any activity held within the KMC. The KGMC students living in the KMC hostel were also told to shift to a nurses’ hostel at Hayatabad Medical College,” said a student on condition of anonymity.

Students complained that the teachers, who used to come from KMC to the girls’ campus, were not taking their classes for almost a week.

The college does not have its own faculty. The KMC teachers were not paid their honourarium so they stopped taking the classes, second-year students said.

Dr Ziaul Islam, the project director of the girls’ campus and the principal of the KGMC, said that there was a delay in making payment of honourarium to KMC professors due to some official formalities which caused bitterness and they stopped taking classes. “But the issue will be resolved soon,” he said.

“We have been cheated as we were enrolled as KMC students but now we are being separated from the main campus,” said a second-year MBBS student.

Dr Ziaul Islam said that every campus could be given an independent status according to the needs.

“The girls’ campus is not completely a separate college but ultimately it will be made an independent women’s medical college,” he said, adding that the only problem was the shortage of faculty staff and for that reason the administration had advertised the vacant posts.

“After completing the faculty, the college will invite the Pakistan Medical and Dental College team for inspection within a month or two to get it recognised,” the director said.

He said that those who did not want to be part of the KGMC could return to their previous medical colleges in Abbottabad, Dera Ismail Khan or Swat.