PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has devolved the Postgraduate Medical Institution (PGMI) to the hospitals and medical colleges where the Medical Teaching Institutions Reforms Act, 2015 has been implemented, according to a notification issued by health department.

The notification has immediately been enforced in nine hospitals and as many medical colleges. The buildings of PGMI will be handed over to Hayatabad Medical Complex where it is located while its medical faculty and administrative staff will become employees of Lady Reading Hospital (LRH), says the notification.

The PGMI medical faculty currently assigned to Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC) will become HMC’s employees either as government servants or institutional employees, as defined in the Act and function under the rules and regulations applicable to that institution.

Each medical teaching institution (MTI) will have a postgraduate wing with its vice-dean/associate dean as its head. It will look after the affairs relating to postgraduate training and diploma courses.

The government established PGMI 30 years ago to supervise postgraduate training of doctors working anywhere in the province but now the respective MTIs have been assigned the task.

Official says it will improve training of doctors and patients’ care

According to MTIRA, 2015, all the medical teaching institutions will have central induction committee comprising vice-dean/associate deans whereas its chairperson will be notified by the government for two years on rotation basis from amongst the vice-dean/associate deans. It will induct trainee medical officers (TMOs) for different specialties.

The director medical education/academic head of those institutions, to which the MTIRA has not been extended so far, will also be members of the central induction committee. The respective MTIs will see the administrative, financial and academic activities of the trainee medical officers (TMOs).

The finance department will release stipends for TMOs to each medical teaching institution separately. The stipends to those institutions, which are not covered by the MTIA, will be paid through health department. The oversight of the training and final outcome would be the responsibility of MTls and their departments that will be accountable to their institutions for the quality of the training imparted to the postgraduate trainees.

The PGMI was based at LRH till it got spacious building near HMC a few years go. The TMOs came from the whole province in connection with their academic activities. However, the present government decided to devolve it to the local hospitals and medical colleges and improve postgraduate training of doctors.

Asfandyar Khattak, the deputy secretary health, told Dawn that the decision was taken in the line with the MTIRA to improve postgraduate medical education as well as patients’ care at the local level. The Act presently covers LRH, HMC, Khyber Teaching Hospital, Ayub Teaching Hospital, Bacha Khan Medical College, Gaju Khan Medical College and Gomal Medical College where TMOs affairs will be handled.

“Saidu Medical College is situated in Provincially Administered Tribal Areas but it has been given representation in the central induction committee till the government extends the law there,” said the official.

Published in Dawn, January 27th, 2016