PESHAWAR: Health department is awaiting grants from finance department to make operational the long-awaited Timergara Medical College in Lower Dir, according to sources.

Timergara Medical College (TMC) was supposed to induct first batch of 50 students this year. Last year, its principal had given a presentation to Chief Minister Mohammad Sohail Afridi during his visit to Dir regarding progress on the college and obstacles to making it functional.

“The chief minister has strictly directed quarters concerned to work on war-footing basis to start admission in the college in the current year but they are yet to comply with his directives,” sources said.

Work on construction of TMC was begun in 2015. The college was completed in December last year but the plan to induct first batch of students is yet to see light of the day, owing to shortage of funds to offer incentives to faculty and complete other requirements as per requirements of Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), the regulator of medical education in the country.

Request for grant pending with finance dept

A meeting was held on December 15, 2025, on the instructions of chief minister wherein he had asked relevant officials to expedite the process to make the college functional at the earliest. The meeting discussed issues to find a way forward to meet the criteria of PMDC and Khyber Medical University (KMU) to start the college.

The meeting was informed that Rs374 million incentive package per year was needed to appoint faculty from other colleges in TMC and transfer civil servants from medical teaching institutions to it to fill the shortage.

A subsequent meeting on January 7, 2026, held in health department reviewed the progress and again recommended timely intervention because PMDC will close its faculty registration and migration portal on March 31 and as a result TMC will not be able to process admission of students for the current academic session.

The administration block at TMC was shifted on temporary basis to faculty hostel in December last year but arrangement for rental accommodation in Timergara for faculty hostel required regular budget, which was either refused or minimised. The meeting was informed that a request for grant was sent to finance department.

A notification by health department to expedite notification of ad hoc faculty on February 12 entails a lot of concerns regarding terms and conditions, including resignation of faculty joining TMC from their original posts but they are not ready to accept the condition.

Sources said that the condition laid by the department that faculty would have to join TMC within 15 days of their selection was not realistic. The meeting also requested immediate release of Rs20.5 million for laboratories, skills lab, forensic museum, day-care, offices, cafeteria, library repair, utilities and allied facilities. “The request for grant is pending with finance department,” they added.

They said that the director-general of health services was yet to hand over the building of MNCH at District headquarters (DHQ) Teaching Hospital Timergara to be used as hostel for girl students. They said that funds for transportation facilities were also awaited.

Additionally, notification for attachment of Category-C Hospital Samarbagh and Category-D Hospital Lal Qillato with TMC was not issued whereas funds for procurement of priority biomedical equipment including MRI through PPP mode, diagnostics and laparoscopic units were not available.

Sources said that the participants of the meeting said that construction of administrative block in TMC should be included in Annual Development Programme 2026-27 along with acquiring 342 kanals of land for faculty housing as per requirements. Additionally, construction of four-storey administration/academic block at DHQ Teaching Hospital Timergara and multi-storey teaching complex at DHQ were also required.

Published in Dawn, March 5th, 2026