SMDC to be formed with stakeholders' consultation: Dr Azra Pechuho

KARACHI: The Sindh Medical and Dental Council is being formulated, and it will be presented for consultation with all stakeholders, said Dr Azra Pechuhu, Sindh Minister for Health while addressing the Jinnah Sindh Medical University's fourth senate meeting.

Dr Azra, who is also the Pro-Chancellor of the University, said that the Pakistan Medical Commission bill is understudy to point out the lacunae that the SMDC will seek to fill. It will cover many other areas like universities and medical colleges affiliations and recognitions, curriculum, and studies, like the PMDC. We cannot bypass federal legislation under which MDCAT was conducted, but we can try and put some authority with the SMDC to reduce the difficulties in registration and more.  

She appreciated the services of the Founding Vice-Chancellor, Prof Syed Muhammad Tariq Rafi, and said that he had been an asset who worked hard to take the university from one institute to ten in his tenure.

Earlier, Prof Tariq Rafi presented an overview of the past two years of the university's performance. He described the university's efforts to grant advantages to its contract employees in the form of paid leaves, increments, and leave benefits in order to attract human resources. The Minister especially appreciated the move and asked for it to be presented in the cabinet.

Vice-Chancellor Prof Tariq Rafi also shared that the JSMU was generating 60 percent of its budget from its own resources as the government grant was reducing steadily. He presented the university budget of PKR 1.9 billion with a deficit of PKR 490 million, which he was confident of overcoming with austerity measures and the government's grant. He posed the question of the university's faculty's status as the federal government assumes control of the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center, the Sindh Medical College's teaching hospital.

Dr Azra Pechuho termed it a problem and said that her ministry was constantly working to find a solution to the faculty status after the institution's transfer under federal control.