GUJRAT: The separation of the Nawaz Sharif Medical College (NSMC) from the University of Gujrat (UoG) is yet to be executed formally even months after the decision taken by the Punjab government in this regard.

As many as 89 faculty and 114 administrative staff members of the NSMC had been the employees of the UoG since it was established as a constituent college of the varsity in 2009-10.

Even the academic activities at the NSMC had been going on in a dedicated academic block of the UoG’s Hafiz Hayat Campus since the college was established.

However, the newly-built NSMC campus may become formally functional by July 27 this year as academic activities will resume following the summer vacation.

Official sources say the college, that was earlier under the higher education department (HED), has now been placed under the administrative control of provincial healthy department following the government’s decision to give it autonomous status.

They add the UoG administration has handed over a list of NSMC assets to the college administration, including the vehicles, land, laboratories and staff.

However, the matter of transfer of the faculty members’ service to the NSMC is pending approval by the provincial cabinet, whereas the administrative staff may be posted in the college on deputation by the HED until the college starts independent recruitment of staff within the next couple of years.

The Punjab government had constituted a committee comprising secretaries of health and HED departments and vice chancellors of five universities, to implement the separation of the NSMC and Sargodha Medical College (SMC) from the UoG and University of Sargodha (UoS), respectively.

The committee is due to hold a meeting by the first week of July to review the progress made on the matter so far.

NSMC Principal Dr Zafar Gill told Dawn that steps had already been taken to implement the separation as the college’s budget had been sent through health department and the academic staff too would soon be shifted to the college.

He added that apart from the existing faculty the NSMC required at least 60 more faculty members for which a proposal had already been sent to the authorities concerned.

Similarly, he said the academic block of the NSMC, constructed around four years ago, might become functional with the start of classes on July 27 as electrification of its building was being done by installing power transformers, a separate feeder etc there.

Published in Dawn, July 2nd, 2022