LAHORE, Jan 19: The Asian Development Bank has once again asked the Economic Affairs Division to clarify the status of the Shaikha Fatima Institute of Nursing and Health Sciences, Sheikh Zayed Hospital, which has been taken over by the University of Health Sciences.

“The ADB will need to inform its headquarters for necessary advice if the issue is not resolved,” says the bank’s second letter to the EAD.

The ADB had written a letter to the EAD on Nov 12 last year saying that they had come to know that a university had been established at the Shaikh Zayed Postgraduate Medical Institute (SZPMI) Complex which had taken over some of INHS facilities, including its functional rooms and offices.

The ADB had asked the EAD to look into the matter and inform it about the actual status of the INHS, its management and operations. It also said that the EAD should in particular clarify the position pertaining to occupation of some INHS facilities by the UHS, which was created by the Punjab government.

The ADB had also stated that the occupation of INHS facilities by the UHS was a matter of concern and it might give rise to legal implications as per loan agreement. Because, it said, any facility established under the ADB-assisted healthcare development project could not be used for a purpose other than laid down.

It said the INHS, having various facilities, including new buildings for training classes, conference room, labs, hostel for 200 students, equipment and furniture, was established to train nurses and medical laboratory technologists. This was a federal component implemented initially by the Ministry of Health. Later, its control was transferred to the Cabinet Division. The loan closed in April, 2000, and a project completion report was finalized in December 2001.

After waiting for over two months, bank’s Pakistan resident mission country director M Ali Shah again wrote a letter to the EAD on Jan 17. “Since we have not heard from EAD yet, an early response on the Institute’s current status would be appreciated. Based on your response, and if the issue has not been resolved, we would need to inform our headquarters for necessary advice,” the letter said.

In the meanwhile, it is learnt, the UHS management has shifted the institute’s nursing and medical technologies students to the SZPMI old nursing hostel building and INHS students’ nursing hostel building, respectively.

INHS students told Dawn that 145 nursing students had been compelled to take classes on a renovated floor of the SZPMI old nursing hostel building. The building was renovated by the SZPMI for establishing a new undergraduate medical college. Similarly, the BSc medical technology classes were being held at the ground floor of the INHS students nursing hostel building.

The INHS officials said the space in both sites was inadequate to take classes. They said it was also a strange move that boys’ regular classes were being held inside the nurses’ hostel.

Students also claimed that out of four medical technology laboratories, the histopathology lab had been dislodged. They claimed that the officials concerned were also working to dislodge all the other three labs and relocate them in just one room, probably the kitchen, of the students’ hostel.

Students also claimed that the nursing hostel mess was being converted into an examination hall. They said the laboratories’ stores in the INHS had also been vacated.