LAHORE, May 10: The Punjab Medical and Health Institutions Bill’s (2003) approval by the Punjab cabinet has ‘demolished’ the UHS Ordinance, 2002, which made it mandatory for all the medical institutes to get affiliated with it.
The UHS Ordinance’s section 37 reads: “All medical institutions, whether in public or private sector, located within the geographical boundaries of the Punjab, whether affiliated with any other university, examination board or a medical faculty, notwithstanding anything contained in any other law for the time being in force, shall affiliate with the university within such period and on such terms and conditions as may be prescribed.”
President Gen Pervez Musharraf had also directed the Punjab government to see that all the medical colleges, except the King Edward Medical College and the Fatima Jinnah Medical College, get affiliation with the UHS.
However, the new bill approved by the cabinet, which will now be presented before the Punjab Assembly for legislation, allows medical colleges’ academic councils to decide about their affiliation.
This provision in the bill is feared to fan the controversy over the affiliation of public and private sector medical colleges with the UHS because the academic councils of most of the colleges have already adopted resolution against compulsory affiliation with the UHS.
However, it is significant to note that the president had allowed the KEMC and the FJMC to stay affiliated with the Punjab University because their academic councils had unanimously resolved to remain affiliated with it.
It is learnt that a couple of other public sector medical colleges’ academic councils have also adopted a resolution that they do not want to affiliate with the UHS.
Similarly, the private sector medical colleges, suddenly de-affiliated by the Punjab University on the executive orders, are expressing their concern.
Fatima Memorial Hospital and College of Medicine and Dentistry Principal Prof Shaukat Raza Khan had also expressed the college faculty and students’ concern, saying they wanted to stay affiliated to the PU. Punjab Health Minister Dr Tahir Ali Javed had also assured the college faculty and students that the Punjab government would resolve their problem.
UHS board of governors chairman Prof Mahmood Ahmad Chaudhry had given a presentation to the Punjab chief minister and solicited the government’s decisions whether those institutions (except KEMC and FJMC) affiliated to the UHS should continue their affiliation.
He had also solicited a decision whether the academic councils be vested with the powers to decide about their affiliation matters, as members of the councils were government servants. He asked whether the private sector medical colleges and academic councils of the new medical institutions be given the option.
Prof Chaudhry had also sought that the Punjab government should give a cut off date for medical and health institutions’ affiliation with the UHS.
Commenting on the provincial government’s decision, Punjab Medical Teachers Association President Prof Dr Mahmood Shaukat has welcomed the Punjab cabinet’s decision to approve the Punjab Medical and Health Institutions Bill 2003, allowing the medical colleges’ academic councils to decide matters regarding their affiliation.
He said the approval of the bill clearly indicated that the government had turned down the UHS chairman’s demands he put forward at the briefing.
Meanwhile, the UHS has acquired the examination record of all the medical colleges (except KEMC and FJMC) from the Punjab University and begun preparation for holding the forthcoming examinations.
