PESHAWAR: Delay in appointment of super specialists in Institute of Kidney Diseases has been affecting the patients suffering from urinary and kidney ailments, especially children, who travel to Karachi and other cities for treatment, according to sources.

They said that Hayatabad Medical Complex Peshawar advertised three posts for Institute of Kidney Diseases (IKD) in September 2014 to provide facilities to children suffering from kidney related ailments and strengthen transplant surgery besides putting in place facilities for people having the problem of infertility. However, over 12 candidates, who had applied for the newly-created posts, waited for interview that couldn’t take place until Peshawar High Court issued directives in that regard last year.

Ultimately, the interviews took place for the posts of senior registrars of infertility and andrology, renal transplant and paediatric urology on November 15, 2016 but sources said that the names of the selected candidates were yet to be announced.

Sources said that the positions to be filled included very rare specialties like infertility and andrology and paediatric urology. The candidates have to their credit specialisation in urology and infertility and paediatric urology as well as general urology from the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP).

Prof Nasir says process on to notify names of selected candidates

The candidates, who are sure of their selection because of their qualification and experience, have been working in government-run hospitals but they want to be posted in the IKD, which is the right place for them.

“These super specialists are desperately required to train more doctors and developed IKD into a state-of-the-art centre with facilities for male and children transplantation,” said a professor at one of the teaching hospitals.

He said that the province didn’t have super specialties in many disciplines for which a Memorandum of Understanding was recently signed with the combined military hospitals to cope with the shortage at public sector hospitals.

The appointment of super specialists in IKD is aimed at providing training to more doctors and producing specialists, who can be deployed throughout the province. The CPSP allows training of doctors for specialisation only under the supervision of qualified specialists.

Sources said that IKD should have filled those posts within three to six months after advertisements as a rule.

Prof Nasir Orakzai, the director of IKD, told Dawn that the process to notify the names of the selected candidates was in progress. “We have to fulfil all formalities before notifying the successful persons but the process is lengthy and we want to do it in accordance with the rules and regulations. There is no delay as such,” he added.

He said that there was no waste of time on their part. The interviews had been delayed owing to different reasons and complications in the past but then a stepwise progress was underway to select the people and strengthen the institute, he added.

“I assumed charge at IKD last year and made efforts to hold interviews because we need to develop super specialties,” said Prof Nasir. He said that there were two committees, which were supposed to analyse the process of selection before the approval of dean. He added that that for final selection, the Board of Governors would be approached.

Prof Nasir said that selection would be made on merit because they needed qualified people to fulfil their objective of giving effective diagnostic and treatment services to the people as well as produce more specialists.

Published in Dawn, January 20th, 2017