March 17, 2006	Friday	Safar 16, 1427

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PESHAWAR, March 16: Trainee Medical Officers of the four teaching hospitals in the province on Thursday threatened to boycott all examinations conducted by the College Of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan, Karachi, if it failed to withdraw retrospective rules for part II examinations.

The announcement was made in a meeting of the Trainee Medical Officers Action Committee at the Khyber Teaching Hospital, Peshawar, on Thursday. Trainee Medical Officers from the Khyber Teaching Hospital, Lady Reading Hospital, Hayatabad Medical Complex and Ayub Medical Complex attended the meeting.

The meeting held that the new rules implemented by the College Of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan were non-practical and deprived a large number of doctors from appearing in the FCPS Part II examination.

Trainee Medical Officers Action Committee also demanded of the regional College Of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan office to arrange a meeting with the head of the college during his visit to Peshawar to attend the 40th convocation of the college on March 18, failing which they would observe a protest demonstration on his arrival.

Dr Imtiaz of the Khyber Teaching Hospital said various retrospective rules framed by the college for Trainee Medical Officers such as a daily summery sheet duly signed by the supervisor of the examination, preparation of three log books and a three-year duration for passing the examination after the completion of the course could not be observed for a number of reasons.

He said: “Delayed correspondence with the college even made it more difficult to meet the rules,” and added that the approval of the synopsis required eight to ten months while that of dissertation needed another one and a half year.

He said: “Under such circumstances, when you require more than two years to complete your dissertation, how come you expect passing the examination within three years.”

He said that there were no such rules when they appeared for the FCPS Part I and therefore would never except the rules being extended afterwards.

Dr Usman of the Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar, said that the Trainee Medical Officers Action Committee was unanimous over the decision that the regional office of the College Of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan should be authorized for the approval of synopsis and dissertation, which would help save precious time of doctors.

He said that a sum of Rs80,000 was being spent on the preparation of a dissertation.

He demanded decrease in the fees of various courses. He said: “We are made to pay a sum of Rs18,000 for a three-day computer course,” and added that the college had only been striving to increase its finances.

He demanded of the government to establish a separate college at the provincial capital to end the monopoly of the College Of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan if it was not willing to authorize its regional office in Peshawar.

Dr Qaisar and Dr Ayub of the Khyber Teaching Hospital, Dr Dilawar of the Hayatabad Medical Complex and Dr Shakir of the Ayub Medical Complex also attended the meeting.