ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Monday passed a bill for separating the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) from the Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University with majority votes, despite severe opposition by the PPP.

PPP was the only opposition party which opposed the bill and the rest, including the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), supported the legislation along with the PML-N.

During the PPP led government, parliament had passed the Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Medical University, Islamabad Bill 2013 despite criticism and protest by the then opposition consisting of PML-N and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.

Under the law, Pims was upgraded to a medical university when it was a welfare hospital before.

The bill was passed by a simple majority but opposed by PPP lawmakers

The status of its employees, who were civil servants, was gradually changed and quotas for their children in appointments and different courses were also withdrawn.

They were also not getting plots from the Federal Government Housing Foundation as they were no longer considered government servants.

Employees of the hospital have held a number of protests and token strikes but despite assurances, their issues were not addressed.

The most recent strike started on Oct 2 and went on for an unprecedented three weeks due to which almost 10,000 patients were turned back every day, 5,000 laboratory tests were not conducted and some 200 operations were postponed every day.

On Oct 25, the federal cabinet approved the bill for separating the hospital from the university due to which employees announced to call off the strike.

On Monday, the bill was introduced in the National Assembly by Minister for Capital Administration and Development Division, Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry.

When asked, the minister said of the 4,000 employees at the hospital, only 22 had wanted to be joined with the university.

PPP legislator Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho said hospital services and facilities are improved when attached to a university and that they should therefore not be separated.

Naveed Qamar, also of PPP, said the bill should not be passed in a hurry and that it had also not been sent to a standing committee.

He said controversial bills should not be passed and that some employees may be benefitted but others will not.

He said an institution cannot be destroyed for some employees.

PTI MNA Asad Umer said the bill was good and though it seemed to have been passed in a hurry, it was in fact delayed.

“It should have been passed two years ago. The university will perform better if the bill is passed and land and funds should be given to the university,” he said.

PkMAP chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai said some people wanted to occupy the hospital’s assets worth billions of rupees and suggested the hospital be separated from the university.

MNA from Fata, GG Jamal said the bill should be passed if MNAs from Islamabad had to objection to it.

JI legislator Tariq Ullah said Pims’ services were deteriorating since it was attached to the university.

PPP lawmaker Shazia Marri asked if the bill had been passed by the relevant standing committee and if so, the house should be told that.

Dr Chaudhry said he did not know why the committee report had not come but the bill had been passed by a standing committee. The bill was then passed with a simple majority.

Spokesperson of the Pims Employees Association Dr Asfandyar Khan told Dawn employees were thankful to the legislators who had played their role in passing the bill.

“We are also thankful to Dr Chaudhry and Mr Umar who had fulfilled their promised and took a stand for us in the National Assembly. We appeal to former president Asif Ali Zardari to play his role in passing the bill from Senate. This will be a great favour to the employees and the people,” he said.

The university syndicate had in Oct 2016 passed a resolution that the hospital should be separated from the university and the then prime minister Nawaz Sharif had also approved the request but the hospital could not be separated for almost a year.

It may now be a huge challenge to pass the bill from Senate as the PPP has opposed the bill. If the bill is rejected in Senate, it can still be passed in a joint session of parliament.

Published in Dawn, November 7th, 2017