Medical college being moved to NIH

While inflicting a huge loss to the national exchequer, the management of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) has shifted the Federal Medical College to the National Institute of Health after millions of rupees were spent to set up that major health institute within its own premises.
In what can be termed as a clear reflection of the inadequate planning of the PIMS, millions of rupees were wasted on setting up its infrastructure at the PIMS and it was only after spending a huge sum that the administration realised that there was not enough space for the new facility.
And now the FMC is being moved to NIH premises which may cost another millions of rupees. It is important to mention here that right after the decision of setting up another medical college at the PIMS, some consultant doctors had expressed their concerns that PIMS was already dealing with a large number of patients and the new responsibility could hamper the working of many departments of the hospital.
While paying no heed to those doctors’ concerns, the hospital management along with Establishment Secretary Khushnood Lashari and the head of the selection committee, conducted interviews of almost 200 candidates for the new college’s faculty posts without preparing the PC1 for the project.
A PIMS official, seeking anonymity, told Pakistan Today that while setting up the infrastructure of college in the basement of OPD (children), labs, expensive X-ray machines and heating ventilating systems, which were donated by Japanese government, were auctioned off on very cheap rates. “Whereas the pharmacy store, record rooms and pathology were removed from that building and a hefty amount was spent on the renovation of the building but all the work proved futile as now the building is lying vacant and useless”, he lamented.
He questioned the sagacity of the policymakers and said they could have averted the loss by paying heed to the suggestions by doctors who were opposed to the move.
He said a majority of the doctors appointed as professors for the new medical college were working without the salary since the PC1 for the project was yet to be finalised. Another senior surgeon, requesting anonymity, said the idea behind the project was to serve some people’s vested interests.
“All the under-graduate federal medical institutes come under the control of the Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) while the post-graduate institutes are overseen by the Ministry of Professional and Technical Education. The new medical college has, however, been given under the control of Cabinet Division,” he added.
He reasoned that the Quaid-e-Azam Medical College, situated within the premises of PIMS, was under the CADD’s control while the new college was being moved to NIG only to bring it under the Cabinet Division’s oversight.
PIMS Executive Director Mehmood Jamal, who is also the principle of the federal college, said, “The college was originally under the CADD’s authority but now it is being transferred to the Cabinet Division.”
He said that according to the original plan, the college was supposed to be set up at the NIH but due to the non-availability of a separate building, it was temporarily set up at the PIMS hospital. But now, he said, it would be shifted to the NIH “as per original plan”.