LAHORE: The College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP) has proposed to the government to appoint third- and fourth-year postgraduate students for a certain period at the tehsil and district headquarter hospitals as ‘specialist’ to cope with the shortage of doctors in far-flung areas.

The proposal was shared by CPSP President Prof Dr Shoaib Shafi at the fifth convocation of the CPSP held here on Wednesday to address the longstanding issue of extending healthcare to the poor patients visiting the far-flung health facilities.

Punjab Governor Muhammad Balighur Rahman, renowned gynaecologist and pioneer of the test-tube baby in Pakistan Prof Dr Rashid Latif, Fatima Jinnah Medical University Vice Chancellor Prof Khalid Masood Gondal and other senior faculty members attended the two sessions of the convocation.

Diplomas were awarded to 532 FCPS and 110 MCPS doctors of the year 2020 in the first session and 648 FCPS and 90 MCPS medics in the second session.

Move can help cope with medics’ shortage

During the sessions, the CPSP president floated the proposal to resolve the issue of vacant slots at the tehsil and DHQ hospitals of the country.

He said there were nearly 33,000 postgraduate students and of them those at third and fourth year sessions were having capability to provide treatment to the patients as ‘specialist doctor.’

Dr Shafi said the appointment of these medics as specialists at the DHQ and THQ hospitals would address the decades-old issue as most of the slots at these state-run health facilities used to remain vacant.

The CPSP president proposed that the senior doctors serving at these hospitals could be declared co-supervisors of the young specialist doctors during their service at the DHQ and THQ hospitals.

After completing their certain period that may be from three to six months, they would rejoin their previous supervisors and the proposal would help create a trained human resource at the hospitals.

“This is also a best model in practice in the developed countries,” Dr Shaoib Shafi said adding that since most of the medical students were the female, the government would have to provide them with some incentive, security and residences to materialise the scheme.

A number of participants attending the event endorsed the proposal.

Speaking on the occasion, Prof Rashid Latif Khan lauded the services of the present council saying that establishing a modern hospital equipped with latest international technology was the need of the hour.

Punjab Governor Balighur Rahman said earning money alone should not be the goal of the [fresh] postgraduate medics saying that the principle of purposeful and meaningful life has been taking care of the ailing humanity.

He admired the services of the CPSP for providing services abroad like in the UK, Ireland, Saudi Arabia and Nepal and the FJMU’s vice chancellor for establishing the department of family medicine.

“We should promote the use of modern technology and adopt teamwork among ourselves,” the governor said.

Published in Dawn, December 29th, 2022