ISLAMABAD: Advertisements for hiring over a dozen faculty members through the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC), who will be posted in the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) has led to unrest among the hospital’s staff.

The hospital’s doctors say faculty members should be appointed by the Federal Medical and Dental College (FMDC) rather than Pims because appointments by the hospital will affect their seniority and deprive them of promotions.

Pims Executive Director Dr Raja Amjad said faculty members can also undertake clinical jobs and that there will therefore be no complications if they were appointed by the hospital.

Former vice chancellor of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Medical University Dr Javed Akram said the faculty members were appointed the world over by colleges and that it will therefore not be appropriate for the hospital to make such appointments.

During the PPP government, Pims was declared a medical university and doctors were given the option of joining the university or remaining employees of the hospital.

Over 90pc of the employees decided to remain in the hospital and during the last PML-N government, the hospital was separated from the university.

A Pims doctor said it was strange that for the first time in the country’s history, a hospital will be appointing faculty members.

“The appointments will affect our seniority and we may not get promotions as those seats will be filled by faculty members. Some doctors who have worked under my supervision can become my superiors by becoming faculty members,” he said.

“Doctors have serious reservations about the issue and we demand that the appointments should be made through FMDC and not by the hospital. Doctors who have worked at the Cardiac Centre for over 10 years say their juniors, who left the job, will return as their supervisors. It is unjust that these doctors worked for over 30 months without salaries and will now be juniors to those who left,” he said.

The doctor asked how Pims can make recruitments on these posts through FPSC when they were transferred to FMDC.

Dr Akram, who currently serves as VC of the University of Health Sciences (UHS), told Dawn that a faculty member cannot work in the hospital. Also, according to Rule 20 of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council, faculty members are appointed in colleges and non-teaching posts are created by hospitals.

“According to my understanding, these appointments should be made by FMDC rather than by Pims. There are 100 colleges affiliated with UHS but none have faculty members in attached hospitals. Pims can only create non-teaching posts,” he said.

Dr Amjad said it has been decided that posts will be created on the recommendations of the head of departments and the appointments will be made on the seats in the hospitals.

Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2018