The Senate on Friday passed the Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Medical University (PIMS) Islamabad Bill 2013 amid uproar by the opposition who alleged that the house was short of quorum.
Capital Administration and Development Minister Nazar
Muhammad Gondal moved the bill and the house passed the bill clause by clause with a majority of votes.
Gondal said the bill was proposed to standardise medical education in general and particularly in ICT by encouraging extensive research in the field of medical sciences.
PIMS has been upgraded to a medical university.
“Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto University has been empowered to confer degrees, diplomas certificates and other academic distinctions,” he said.
He said the Education Policy 2009 emphasised upon increased enrollment at all levels of education, including higher education.
“SZABMU would impart quality medical education, provide better healthcare and carry out extensive research in medical sciences,” Gondal said.
He added that Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto University would help in achieving such objectives.
All medical colleges and health institutions located in the
Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), excluding the constituent college of a university, would from now on be affiliated with SZABMU.
The faculty of medicine at Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) would be transferred to Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Medical University.
Up-gradation of PIMS to Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Medical
University would greatly help meeting the requirement of a state-of-the-art medical institution in the capital.
It may be mentioned here that PIMS was providing specialist training in 28 disciplines of medicine surgery and dentistry.
Presently, 550 resident doctors were under training at this institute.
It was also providing post-graduate training and basic nursing education to nurses. The institute was also providing a structured training for paramedics in various disciplines.
Earlier, Mohsin Leghari, an independent member from Punjab protested alleging that only 24 members were present in the house while the presence of 26 was mandatory for maintaining the quorum.
Raja Zafarul Haq said the bill must not be passed in haste and should be referred to a relevant committee as there were certain contradictions in the bill.
Syed Zafar Ali Shah of PML-N pointed out lack of quorum twice but after a fifteen minute break, the chairman announced that the house was in order.
Tahir Hussain Mashhadi of MQM said he respected late Prime
Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto but the name of the father of the nation must not be changed. A separate university should be established in the name of ZAB but the name of father of nation must not be changed.
Mushahid Hussain Syed of PML-Q said the establishment of the university could not be opposed.
