LAHORE: The Punjab government seems least interested in appointing new executive director of the Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology (RIC).

The administrative matters of this institute are being run on a day-to-day basis in the absence of its head.

The 272-bed RIC is the third major state-run cardiac institution of Punjab, which has been catering to the health needs of a large number of heart patients since 2012.

The Specialised Health Care and Medical Education Department (SH&ME) had invited applications in April 2020 from among the Punjab government’s regular professors of cardiology/cardiac surgery to fill the slot.

It was first time since the RIC establishment that leading serving cardiologists/cardiac surgeons got an opportunity to apply for its top position after Maj-Gen Dr Azhar Kayani was not given further extension as the executive director on April 23 last. Dr Kayani was then 65 years of age whereas the other regular senior doctors and Punjab government employees retire at the age of 60. The medical community welcomed the decision of the health department when it did not give further extension to Dr Kayani and advertised the slot.

At present, Jinnah Hospital cardiology department head Prof Dr Zubair Akarm is the senior most on the list of serving cardiologists/cardiac surgeons in Punjab followed by Prof Ijaz Ahmad, the head of Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi Institute of Cardiology in Multan and Prof Dr Raja Pervez, head of the Mayo cardiac surgery unit.

Also among senior cardiologists are chief executive of the PIC, Lahore, Prof Saqib Shafi, head of cardiac surgery unit of PIC Prof Zafar Tufail, executive director of the Faisalabad Institute of Cardiology Prof Dr Anjum Jalal and professor of cardiology from the PIC Prof Shahid Hameed.

An official source lamented that the Punjab government was employing delaying tactics to discourage maximum number of qualified doctors to make appointment of its choice.

Talking about some factors behind the ‘depressed situation’, the official said that no one from the senior-most medics applied for the job except one because they had been given clear signals that the Punjab government was not interested in considering them for the vacancy despite advertising the slot.

Dawn tried to get the comment of the Specialised Health Care and Medical Education Department Secretary Nabeel Awan but he did not respond to phone call and text message.

The medical community has meanwhile urged the Punjab government to consider serving doctors for the job.

Published in Dawn, August 5th, 2020