The Sindh Doctors’ Association has expressed strong reservations over the appointment of a professor from Jinnah Sindh Medical University (JSMU) as director of Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC).
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In a statement issued on Monday, association president Dr Naeem Khan said the director of JPMC should preferably be appointed from within the hospital’s own staff, arguing that JSMU has no affiliation with JPMC.
Dr Naeem said the Supreme Court had ordered the return of JPMC, NICVD and NICH to the federal government after the institutions had earlier come under the Sindh government following the 18th Constitutional Amendment.
However, he claimed that despite around two and a half years having passed, the federal government had not yet taken control of the institutions.
Against this backdrop, the association met newly appointed Acting Executive Director Professor Dr Tariq Mahmood and requested him to reconsider his decision not to continue as executive director of JPMC.
The association said it considered Dr Tariq Mahmood the most appropriate person to run the hospital smoothly under the prevailing circumstances.
The association also referred to the Supreme Court’s directions, stating that JSMU had been given six months to arrange an alternative, citing paragraph 34 of case 125/K.
The doctors’ body maintained that the matter should be handled in accordance with the court’s directions.
The association also disagreed with Dr Tariq Mahmood’s proposal to hire post-fellows on stipends and consultants on a contractual basis.
According to the association, more than 300 medical officers from the Sindh government are already working at JPMC on deputation or with permission to serve there.
The association argued that hiring additional doctors was neither necessary nor appropriate while existing faculty members and government medical officers were already working at the hospital.
The doctors’ association also urged the executive director to play a role in speeding up the long-pending cadre promotions of JPMC employees against vacant posts of associate and assistant professors.
The association said filling vacant positions and resolving administrative matters was important for the smooth functioning of the hospital.
The concerns and claims were made by the Sindh Doctors’ Association in its statement and reflect the organisation’s position on the appointment and administrative affairs at JPMC.
