KARACHI, Dec 31: A group of the Sindh Medical College (SMC) alumni from Pakistan and North America expressing dissatisfaction over the quality of education and training being imparted to students at the college has highlighted the need to upgrade its status to a university.

The alumni said that theirs was not a politically-motivated group and that they simply wanted to get the education standards improved at the college through its transformation into a university at its present site while utilising the force of doctors and infrastructures already available with its adjacent federally-run institution, the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC).

They noted that the JPMC would finally be devolved to the Sindh government in the spirit of the 18th amendment in the constitution of Pakistan. These views were expressed by Dr Jawaid Suleman, Prof Saeed Akhtar, Dr Qaiser Sajjad and Prof Nusrat Anis while addressing a press conference on Friday.

The alumni said the proposed establishment of the Sindh Medical University should not be compared with the proposed Lyari University project that could not be materialised even after two years of the presidential announcement to this effect. They added that the SMC was established in 1973 and so far had produced over 32 batches of 10,000 medical graduates.

The SMC, which is currently being governed by the Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS), was never a constituent of the Dow Medical College, they argued, recalling that the SMC was founded as an independent medical college affiliated to Karachi University just like the DMC.

“The SMC was in fact taken over by the DUHS despite protests by SMCians,” the alumni said, adding that the SMC students were still being taught by JPMC doctors and not by the DUHS faculty and as such the creation of the SMU would not result in any curtailment of DUHS units.

Admitting for the first time before the media that the alumni were struggling for the upgrading of the SMC and had approached the president in this regard, the alumni said that they failed to understand why certain quarters were raising concerns over the related development.

“No hue and cry was raised by the DUHS when the Lyari University project was announced, despite the fact that the Lyari General Hospital formed part of the DUHS,” one of the speakers argued.

About the concerns of the JPMC’s administrative and academic staff reported in the media, Dr Suleman said that these were ill founded, because “the academic council of the JPMC has already submitted their proposal of becoming part of the SMC and the resolution is lying in the Presidency”.

He said that his group without any political or ethnic prejudice was sincerely working for the addition of a quality medical education centre and the relevant quarters should facilitate the efforts in this regard instead of sabotaging them.

“We intend to bring money from the Sindh Medical College Alumni Association of North America for an improved and technically sound SMU,” said Prof Saeed Akhtar. He added that they would ensure continued meaningful academic activities and development in the proposed university and the alumni would be part of its syndicate for the purpose.

Responding to a question, an alumnus said that despite the fact that the alumni would invest a huge amount in the development of the proposed university, tuition fee would not be enhanced even in the case of new admissions. “We will ensure that the fee structure remained on a par with what the public-sector medical colleges/universities charge or will charge in future,” he added.

The speakers also mentioned that the DUHS batches currently studying at the SMC would not be disturbed in any way.

According to Dr Suleman, the SMC should also be accorded a university status particularly when all government medical colleges which were established during the Bhutto era and private colleges had been given a university status.