KARACHI, March 25: Future of some 300 students of the Ghulam Mohammad Mahar Medical College Sukkur is in doldrums, as the Sindh government has failed to provide required teaching staff to this college, despite submission of SNE to the Sindh chief minister for approval in 2005, college sources said here on Sunday.

It was learnt that the college principal had sent the SNE (approval for posting of staff) for required faculty to the Sindh chief minister in April 2005, which is gathering dust in he summary wing of the chief minister’s secretariat, as the provincial government seemed to be busy in handling more important issues facing the province.

The sources said that if the SNE was not approved immediately, before the imminent visit if the PMDC team, the PMDC would be left with no option but to ask the federal health ministry to close down the Ghulam Mohammad Mahar Medical College Sukkur forthwith.

They said that future of this medical college was at stake as the Supreme Court of Pakistan had, in its judgement, directed the Pakistan Medical and Dental College (PMDC) to inspect all medical colleges of the country and report to the federal ministry of health before August 14, 2007 identifying the colleges which do not meet the criteria set up by the PMDC.

According to the PMDC criteria, a medical college must have a proper building, sufficient laboratories and equipment, and more importantly all professorial staff included professors, associate professors, assistant professors and senior registrars.

It may be remembered that a doctor can not be made professorial staff by a administrative order, but to be amongst the professorial staff, one must have required experience and post-graduate qualification like Ph.D., M.Phil, or FCPS in relevant subjects.

This criterion is set by the PMDC with the consultation of the health personnel and experts.

According to the PMDC criteria for any medical college with one hundred plus admissions, it should have 48 professors (BPS-20), 54 associate professors (BPS-19), and 68 assistant professors (BPS-18).

Unfortunately, the government of Sindh has provided the Ghulam Mohammad Mahar Medical College Sukkur with only three professors, three associate professors and six assistant professors, which is far below the requirements of the PMDC.—PPI