DOW University of Health Sciences claims to have more than 30 institutes under its administration and five fully functioning tertiary care hospitals with a budget of billions of rupees per annum.

It is concurrently the only healthcare university which is charging its post-graduate medical students serving in its hospitals with an annual fee of Rs25,000 per annum in the name of annual surveillance fee.

It is a heavy and inappropriate burden on its trainees who are mostly from middle- and low-income backgrounds and are supporting their families.

The students even have to wait for their monthly stipend till the middle of each month rather than have it in their bank accounts in the first week of the month.

I want to request the authorities on behalf of all the trainees to stop this demoralising action and instead work on programmes which can uplift the morale of the trainees who are working hard day and night in a stressful and insecure environment.

A doctor

Karachi

Published in Dawn, August 2nd, 2014