LAHORE, Jan 29: The former director of the Shaikha Fatima Institute of Nursing and Health Sciences has informed the Asian Development Bank that the University of Health Sciences has obtained the approval to use the institute building under a “misrepresentation of facts”.
In a letter written to ADB country director Marshuk Ali Shah on Jan 24, Prof Mansoorul Hasan Alvi claimed that there was a wrong assertion in the UHS PC-I that a purposeful building with sufficient space of 75,000 square feet was already available.
The ex-director wrote the letter in response to two ADB letters written to the Economic Affairs Division (EAD) on Nov 12 last year and Jan 17, wanting it to clarify its concern about the occupation of the INHS by the UHS. Copies of these letters were also addressed to Mr Alvi.
His reply to the bank said further that the UHS PC-I had also stated that the INHS was financed by the health ministry and the ADB, with a ratio of 20:80, to train nurses, lady health visitors and hospital paramedics.
Prof Alvi stated that the INHS was part of the federal component of the Pakistan Healthcare Development Project aided by the ADB under loan (No 1200-PAK(SF). He said the MoU was signed with the ADB in November, 1992 and the project was approved by ECNEC on Feb 11, 1993.
He said the objective of the INHS, as defined in the approved PC-I, was to train nurses and medical laboratory and related technologists. Noting that the UHS PC-I had, on purpose, excluded any technology studies on the INHS campus, he stated three batches of nurses and medical laboratory technologists had already graduated from the INHS after its completion.
Prof Alvi said the “unjustified” takeover of the INHS and eviction of its students, staff and equipment had delayed implementation of its postgraduate training programme in medical laboratory technology which was to commence this year.
He said the INHS had been recognized as the foremost institute of its kind and there was a strong demand for the start of its postgraduate programme.
Prof Alvi said the INHS had been displaced from its premises at a time when it needed more space to install its advanced equipment. He said the INHS had been moved to the ground floor of its nurses’ hostel and its equipment worth Rs70 million had been dispersed, dumped and rendered unusable.
In his letter to the ADB resident director, with copies endorsed to the administrative secretaries to the Economic Affairs Division (EAD), the cabinet division and the health ministry, Prof Alvi hoped that the government would restore the INHS building and its assets to the INHS for the implementation of its training programme in full, as given in PC-I.
It may be mentioned that the ADB had already written two letters to the EAD to clarify its concern about occupation of the INHS by the UHS.
The ADB had written letters to the EAD on Nov 12 last year and Jan 17, saying that it had come to know that the UHS had been set up at the Shaikh Zayed Postgraduate Medical Institute and that it had taken over some of the INHS facilities, including its functional rooms and offices.
The ADB had also stated that any facility established under the ADB-assisted Healthcare Development Project were to be utilized effectively and fully sustained for the purpose and objective for which these were appraised, and agreed with the government during project formulation.
It also 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 provide training to nurses and medical laboratory technologists”.
