LAHORE: Prime Minister Imran Khan has given a nod of approval for the establishment of Punjab University Medical College and its allied hospital on varsity’s new campus to serve as public sector institutions.

The Punjab specialised healthcare and medical education department has presented a detailed college and allied hospital establishment and management plan to the prime minister and sought funds for the purpose.

The Punjab cabinet committee on finance had also held its 37th meeting on Monday and allowed the health department to proceed for the establishment of Punjab University Medical College and its allied hospital.

University to provide running cost to college; health dept to bear hospital’s expenditure

According to the plan, the medical college will be set up at PU’s statistical and actuarial sciences building and allied hospital on varsity’s land alongside the road leading from canal to the Karim Block, Allama Iqbal Town. It is learnt that the Punjab University has agreed to allocate its some 300 acre land for the allied hospital.

The Punjab health department has agreed to initially set up a 800-bed hospital having cardiology and general hospital towers on about 60 acres of land.

The PU, it is learnt, has insisted that the university itself would offer degrees to its students as it used to give medical graduation degrees before the establishment of the University of Health Sciences.

The Punjab specialised and medical education department has agreed to PU’s demand and assured that the department would move to amend the relevant law so that the PU could offer its degrees to the medical graduates. The health department has also agreed that it would spend funds from its kitty to establish the allied hospital and continue giving running cost [for the hospital].

The PU would fund the medical college and bear its running cost including payment of salaries to the faculty and other staff of the college.

The specialised healthcare department has required that the PU medical college and allied hospital would serve as public sector institutions and follow all government rules and instructions including admission through the centralised admission system conducted by the University of Health Sciences and fee structure.

Since the health department has asked that the medical college and allied hospital will be supervised by a dean and a board of governors, a source said the government would enact a new law that would be a mixture of the Medical Teaching Institutions (MTI) Act and the Punjab University Act.

The PU administration, it is learnt, has agreed to the new management regime but yet to sign the agreement with the health department.

A source in the health department said the PC-I had projected Rs8 billion cost but the department planned to arrange some Rs14bn to execute the plan. “The health department has held several meetings with the Punjab University management and will move forward, when the [PU] administration would sign the management regime,” the source added.

Published in Dawn, July 23rd, 2020