LAHORE, Sept 20: The Quaid-i-Azam Medical College, Bahawalpur, is working with only 40 per cent faculty strength, affecting the quality of medical education. This was stated by Javed Siddiqui from Multan on a point-of-order in response to the reply given to Ms Samina Naveed who asked about the strength of the staff at the QAMC during a question-hour in the Punjab Assembly on Tuesday.

He said it was a pity that 60 per cent teaching posts in a full-fledge medical college had been lying vacant for quite some time.

He said answers submitted by the health department showed that the posts of professors in different major specialities, including anaesthesia, cardiology, neurology and urology, were lying vacant.

According to the answer submitted by the health department, that 20 posts of professors out of total 36 sanctioned strength of professors are lying vacant. Similarly, 29 posts of associate professors and 40 posts of assistant professors are lying vacant out of 46 associate professors and 66 assistant professors’ sanctioned posts, respectively.

The department stated that the available faculty was teaching all college students properly and the quality of education was not being compromized. It also stated that the Punjab government had devised a policy to fill teaching cadre posts on a regular basis through the Punjab Public Service Commission. It said an advertisement in this regard would be published in national newspapers soon.

Responding to another question by Dr Samia Amjad about the delay in recruitment in the health department, the department stated that recruitments had been stopped in December 2003 but the ban was lifted in May this year and recruitments were being made on merit following a laid down policy.

Answering a supplementary question, parliamentary secretary for health Dr Farzana Nazir said the health department was discussing a recruitment policy for doctors. She said health minister Dr Tahir Ali Javed would see into the matter soon.

She also said the policy of contractual appointment had not been introduced by the present government. She said advertisements for the posts of assistant professors and senior registrars would soon be published in national newspapers.

Answering another question, Dr Nazir said the health department had prepared 93 lady doctors’ promotion cases from BPS-18 to BPS-19, while promotion cases of 208 male doctors were being prepared.

Responding to a question about the provision of a burn centre at the DHQ Hospital, Sheikhupura, Dr Nazir said the government in collaboration with the Pakistan Baitul Maal was preparing to establish a reconstructive surgery and burn centre at the Jinnah Hospital, while another burn unit was working at the Mayo Hospital. She said the government would also establish burn centres in big cities phase-wise. She, however, said that the government was not considering to establish a burn centre at the DHQ Hospital, Sheikhupura, at this time.

Ms Saghira Islam said that it was quite strange that the government did not consider Sheikhupura a big city, though it diverted all its energies towards the city during recent local elections.

Dr Nazir also told the house that there was no burn centre in any hospital in Rawalpindi. However, she said, burn patients in Rawalpindi were being treated at hospitals’ surgical units.

Answering yet another question, she said, the Allied Hospital, Faisalabad, had burn and dental units besides facilities of a CT Scan. She said the government was still considering a proposal to establish a state-of-the-art burn centre in Islamabad in the near future.

Responding to a question about admission to medical colleges on foreign self-finance scheme by Syed Ehsanullah Waqas, the health department submitted that the King Edward Medical College, Allama Iqbal Medical College, Fatima Jinnah Medical College and Services Institute of Medical Sciences were charging $10,000 annual fee from Pakistani expatriates. Similarly, he said, the Rawalpindi Medical College and Nishtar Medical College were charging $7,000 annual fee, while the Punjab Medical College, Faisalabad; Quaid-i-Azam Medical College, Bahawalpur; and Sheikh Zayed Medical College, Rahim Yar Khan, were charging $5,000 annual fee.

The health department also submitted that the ratio of Pakistani expatriates seeking admission to Punjab medical colleges was encouraging.

Answering a question about transportation of milk and other eatables in empty chemical drums by Sheikh Tanveer Ahmad, the health department admitted that the practice was rampant in Punjab, which was highly injurious to health. It said the City District Government’s food department staff was aware of the situation and had launched a campaign against the use of chemical drums. It claimed that the food staff had examined milk being carried in empty chemical drums and had so far wasted some 100,000 litres of milk.

Dr Farzana Nazir said the CDG food department officials were challanning those found transporting milk or eatables in empty chemical drums and issuing fine tickets instead of sending cases in courts. She said the food staff had recently challanned a beverage factory and handed out six months imprisonment to defaulters.

Raising a supplementary question, Asad Ashraf said that the house must note that the CDG’s food staff comprised of seven officials —- one chief food inspector, three inspectors and clerical staff each.

On a point of order, Arshad Baggu said a person had established Sardar Begum Hospital with a total cost of Rs40 million in Sialkot and he wanted to hand it over to the health department. But, he said, the health department was not ready to take over the hospital.

Deputy Speaker Sardar Shaukat Mazari, who was in the chair, asked the health minister and the parliamentary secretary to visit the hospital in Sialkot and resolve the issue.

Ms Sagheera Islam said the dialysis machine at the Allama Iqbal Hospital in Sialkot was lying out-of-order and was not being repaired despite the fact that suppliers were ready to repair the equipment.

The speaker disposed of most of the questions as movers were not present in the house.