PESHAWAR, Aug 2: In an effort to ensure promotion of non-PhD medical teachers, the Khyber Medical University has been reduced to a mere examination conducting body through a recent ordinance, sources said.

Drastic changes were made in the Khyber Medical University Act, 2007, through the KMU (Amendment) Ordinance, 2008, promulgated by the NWFP governor on June 21, which could harm the state of medical education in the province, the sources said.

The KMU Act, 2007, had made the Khyber Medical College, Khyber College of Dentistry, Postgraduate Medical Institute, Khyber Institute of Ophthalmic Sciences, Pakistan Institute of Community Ophthalmology and the Kidney Centre, Peshawar, and the Ayub Medical College, Abbottabad, constituent colleges of the KMU, but after the recent amendments, these institutions are no longer constituents of the university.

Through the recent ordinance, sections 37, 51 and 53 have also been deleted from the Act. It is now stated that all moveable and immoveable property, including fixed assets of the constituent colleges and institutions and all liabilities pertaining to such colleges and institutions which were transferred to the university by virtue of section 37 shall revert back to the respective colleges and institutions.

The services of all the employees of the constituent colleges and institutions transferred to the university under section 51 hereby deleted shall revert back to the respective colleges and institutions, the amended law said.

The Ayub Medical College Board of Governor Ordinance 1978 (NWFP) Order XIX of (1978) repealed under section 53 hereby deleted, shall stand revived as if it had been never been repealed, the amended law said.

Sub-section 2 of section 35 of the KMU Act, 2007, which says that the present allocation of funds of the constituent colleges and institutions of the university shall continue in incremental order, till making arrangements by the university, these funds shall be transferred to the account of the university in July every year, also stands deleted.

Sources said the issue had been taken up by Teachers Association of the KMC that wanted promotion of teachers of basic medical sciences, who had been denied promotion on account of not possessing PhD degrees in line with the Higher Education Commission’s rules, who approached the provincial health minister and later amendments were proposed to the governor.

The law was amended in haste and without any homework, which would deprive the KMU of Rs3 billion annual grant of the HEC given to all public sector universities for research, the sources said, adding that the promotion issue had been resolved and the HEC had agreed to send medical teachers for PhDs on scholarships to be able to get promotions.

Furthermore, the KMU would also lose Rs480 million grant approved in the federal budget this year, they said, adding that the provincial government had not allocated any amount to the KMU in the current’s year budget.