Posts of professors lying vacant in hospitals
BOTH the Quaid-i-Azam Medical College and the Bahawal Victoria Hospital are facing a shortage of professors, creating difficulties for patients and students.
Currently, a total of 27 posts of professor doctors are lying vacant as only nine professors are working in different departments. Four professors have proceeded on long leave and are running their own private hospitals in the cities of their choice.
Among them is Prof Dr Ali Raza Gardezi, a cardiac specialist, who was allowed two-year leave (with pay) by the health department. The CCU ward is without an expert and BVH, with over 1,200 beds, is also without a cardiac expert.
Earlier, the gynae wards were without a professor, and there was no doctor of professor level except one who was available in the autonomous Bahawal Victoria Hospital.
Only 15 doctors against the 31 sanctioned posts of associate professors are working in the Bahawal Victoria Hospital. Similarly, 11 assistant professors are posted here against the 42 sanctioned posts and the remaining have been unfilled since long. The 21 seats of senior registrars are also lying vacant as only six senior registrars are performing duties against a total of 27.
The health department has not taken steps to fill the vacant posts. In the past, some professors on promotion were posted here, but due to their contacts with the high-ups they managed to get their posting orders cancelled.
Principal Executive Officer Prof Dr Maj M. Amin (retired) has temporarily posted some doctors as associate professors with some incentives, but that is not a permanent solution. The problem is people’s inability to avail the services of qualified doctors here. In addition, the QMC students face the teaching problem as reputed professors are not available in the college.
THE Bahawalnagar-Sammasatta section of the Railways has been neglected since partition. Before partition, this section linking Karachi to New Delhi via Bhatinda was considered an important rail link in the sub-continent. After Pakistan came into being, a metalled road was constructed linking Bahawalpur to Bahawalnagar through Hasilpur and Chishtian along the railway track thus decreasing the importance of this railway section.
Presently, only one passenger train (Up & Dn) runs between Sammasatta and Bahawalnagar daily. This slow moving train does not serve the purpose and cannot meet the needs of passengers. Railway officials should examine the possibility of introducing a fast train on this section, which can prove profitable for the railways. This fast train should also have an economy class coach, which should be connected at Sammasatta junction with a Karachi-bound express train to provide travelling facilities to the people of remote areas like Bahawalnagar, Fort Abbas and Haroonabad.
THE traffic police have launched a campaign to remove pressure horns and tape-recorders from buses and wagons in Bahawalpur and other parts of the range.
During this drive, the police removed several instruments from the buses and wagons. This campaign will prove helpful in checking road accidents. But the traffic police should also pay attention to other serious matters which threaten the lives of passengers i.e., overloading and unauthorized use of gas cylinders by private vans. Cylinders have been fitted without any proper kit, which can prove harmful for passengers.
THE Central Library is a premier educational institution here, but its photostat machine is out of order due to which regular visitors, particularly students, have to face difficulty. A library official said due to scarcity of resources and red-tapism, funds for repair were not available.
This cannot be justified. Photostat machine is an essential part of a library. If somebody wants to get a photostat copy, he will have to deposit his NIC, take the book to a photostat shop and then return it to the library staff to collect his NIC. The machine should be repaired immediately for the convenience of the people.