LAHORE: The Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC), after allegations of merit violations in selection of doctors against regular slots of assistant professors in various specialties, has launched a high-level probe into the matter.

The issue surfaced when some affected aspirants for the slots came up with ‘evidences’ of violation of rules of both the Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PMDC) and the PPSC, in the selection of candidates.

The PPSC launched the probe after many aspirants for the slots in various specialties went into litigation, while some other directly took up the issue with the senior hierarchy of the commission, an official privy to the information told Dawn.

He said the affected candidates alleged, while presenting official documents, that the PPSC ignored senior medics for the slots and instead preferred juniors in various specialties, including cardiology, paedes medicine, surgery, urology etc.

The candidates, he said, pointed out that the PPSC panels comprising senior medical teachers also selected those doctors who had either completed training under them (as supervisors) or worked in their units, which was a violation of the commission’s own rules, he said.

The official said that according to the PPSC regulations, only those candidates would be eligible for the regular assistant professors (AP) slots who had more than two-year experience as senior registrar after passing the FCPS in the particular speciality.

Similarly, the PPSC section 52 strictly barred a medical teacher (being part of interview panel) from interviewing his/her own trainee student.

The official said the PPSC had announced regular AP slots in various public sector teaching medical institutions of Punjab in different specialties, including cardiology, paedes medicine, surgery, urology etc. The interviews for these slots were held in October this year, he said, adding that as many as 153 candidates had appeared for 23 slots of APs of cardiology, 150 against 14 AP slots of paeds medicine and 131 for the 13 AP seats of surgery.

The results, he said, shocked many a candidate when they found out that several selected doctors had either passed FCPS in 2018 or had been working as trainees in the wards under the medical teachers who interviewed them being part of the PPSC panel.

A candidate, Dr Ahmad Hassan, submitted a complaint to the PPSC chairman taking up the issue.

In the complaint, he stated that he had more than seven-year experience as senior registrar (SR), but the interview panel selected his junior most colleagues who had recently passed the FCPS, committing violation of the PMDC regulations.

“I appeared before the PPSC panel on 10th of October, 2018 for the post of assistant professor of cardiology. I did my FCPS Cardiology in 2011 and since then working in a teaching institute, initially as a senior registrar and now as AP Cardiology”, said Mr Hassan.

He said that he was also in charge of a post-graduate teaching programme in the Jinnah Hospital.

“I am an American certified supervisor for the Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) and Basic Life Support Programme (BLSP) and currently teaching in College of Physicians & Surgeons Pakistan”, said Dr Ahmad.

He further stated that he had seven local and eight international publications (research papers) to his credit.

Dr Ahmad Hassan, however, stated that the doctors selected by the interview panels were either working in the wards of the professors (who were part of the panel) or had completed training under their supervision, which was a sheer violation of the PPSC’s own rules.

The official said that Dr Umar Farooq, another candidate who had appeared for the slot of AP of surgery, also submitted a similar complaint to the PPSC chairman.

He said a candidate, Dr Mohammad Zeshan Khan from the Children’s Hospital Lahore got shocked when he found the PPSC panel had selected a candidate for the regular AP slot (paeds medicine) who had got training from him (Dr Zeshan).

Dr Zeshan had eight-year experience as SR at the institute, he said, adding that he was working as assistant professor (ad hoc) at paedes medicine department of the institute when he appeared for interview for the regular slot.

Interestingly, he said, his two seniors in the same hospital -- Dr Farrah Naz and Dr Asma -- who had more than 14-year experience as SR were also ignored by the PPSC for the AP slots, instead selecting the candidates who had completed FCPS in March 2018.

A candidate, Dr Umar Farooq, from Mayo Hospital in his complaint presented evidence of selection of the candidates who had direct or indirect association with the medical teachers who were part of the interview panel.

PPSC Secretary Mirza Naseer Inayat said that since his department believed in merit, it would surely take action to address the concerns of the candidates.

About status of the probe into complaints filed by the affected doctors, he said that he would be able to comment after going through official record.

Published in Dawn, December 24th, 2018