KARACHI, March 5: The Pakistan Medical Association on Monday condemned the decision taken by the federal secretary health regarding opening of a new medical and dental college on the premises of the Jinnah Postgraduate and Medical Centre.

In a statement issued here, the PMA said it believed that it was not the duty of the Federal Health Department to open medical and dental colleges, build high-rise buildings and involve in the matters of the allied branches of medicines.

It said the JPMC was a postgraduate medical centre and it should be developed at the postgraduate medical institute in all aspects of medicine, including nursing, midwifery, paramedics and allied branches of medicine. Instead of playing its prime role, the ministry of health involved itself in these kinds of ventures, it regretted, adding the ministry had failed to conduct any assessment of this project, and neither a feasibility report was produced to the public.

The ministry of health should concentrate on the eradication of polio, malaria and tuberculosis and should come out with planning for prevention of hepatitis and HIV, it demanded. “It should also work hard against the production of spurious drugs and make sure that our people get drugs without impurities and essential and life saving drugs are available round the clock 12 months in a year.”

The health ministry should work hard to combat against quackery, asked the PMA, adding that 600,000 quacks were playing havoc with the life of people. The unhygienic and carcinogenic Gutka was killing children and planners at the health departments were busy opening medical universities, medical schools and multi-storied plazas.

This criminal behaviour of the health department should not be tolerated and doctors, health workers and the Karachiites should act to stop this project and the government should concentrate on providing basic and emergency healthcare to poor patients, it concluded. — PPI