MUZAFFARABAD: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government on Friday formally notified the decisions made by the governing body of state-run medical colleges in its January meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq.

According to an official notification, three nursing and midwifery colleges would be established, each affiliated with one of AJK’s three public-sector medical colleges — Azad Jammu and Kashmir Medical College (Muzaffarabad), Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Medical College (Mirpur), and Poonch Medical College (Rawalakot). The principals of these new institutions would be appointed through the health department, and deficient faculty for the medical colleges would be recruited on a contractual basis, the notification added.

A separate notification stated that District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital Hattian Bala in Jhelum Valley would serve as the teaching hospital for AJK Medical College, Muzaffarabad, while DHQ Hospital Bagh would function as the teaching hospital for Poonch Medical College, Rawalakot.

Additionally, a third notification confirmed that regional centres of the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP) and University of Health Sciences (UHS), Lahore would be

established in Muzaffarabad, on land provided by AJK Medical College.

Prof Dr Adnan Mehraj, Principal of AJK Medical College Muzaffarabad, welcomed these decisions, saying they would strengthen public-sector medical colleges and enhance healthcare delivery across the region.

He noted that while the DHQ hospitals in Hattian Bala and Bagh were well-built and well-equipped, they had not been functioning at optimal efficiency due to the reluctance of medical practitioners to accept postings there.

Their designation as teaching hospitals would ensure their administration by senior faculty from Muzaffarabad and Rawalakot on a daily basis, he said.

Dr Mehraj further said that nursing and midwifery colleges were a mandatory requirement for every medical college and would produce qualified nurses and midwives in accordance with international standards.

Similarly, the establishment of CPSP and UHS regional centres in Muzaffarabad would greatly benefit young doctors, who currently had to travel to Rawalpindi/Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi for courses and exams, causing financial strain and consuming valuable time.

Expressing gratitude to Prime Minister Haq, Health Minister Nisar Ansar Abdali, and Secretary Health Brig Muhammad Fareed, Dr Mehraj said these reforms marked a significant step toward improving medical education and healthcare services in AJK.

Published in Dawn, March 1st, 2025