3 professors being considered for Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) executive director

ISLAMABAD, The Ministry of Health is considering names of three professors for the appointment of permanent executive director (ED) of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims).

Recently, the premier health facility of the country remained in news for every possible bad reason; death of an MNA due to alleged negligence of doctors, lack of necessary patient care and acute level of internal politics among doctors.

Therefore, the ministry has decided to appoint the ED to run the affairs smoothly and without any pressure.

Sources close to the development told Dawn on Saturday: “Acting ED Pims Prof Gazala, Prof Anwar and an experienced professor,‘neutral and sharp man’, are among the list of the would-be ED”.

A summary in this regard has been prepared and will shortly be sent to Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani.

“These three senior doctors are among the list; however, several others and senior faculty members are trying their political connections to sit on the top slot of the Pims,” the sources added.

In the last six months, three professors of the Pims were handed over the acting charge of the institution while one of them, Prof Altaf Hussain, was assigned the job for two terms.

“Prof Mehmood Jamal and Prof Hussain were given the acting charge, but both of them could not contain a spillover of failures mainly due to lack of permanent charge and backing from the health ministry,” the sources pointed out. According to them, the current acting ED also facing hurdles from her peers.

The government, the sources said, had received a plethora of complaints against several departments of the Pims for their failure to provide the muchneeded facilities to the patients, including some senior government servants.

The federal government was working on a framework to engineer patient rights draft bill which would help the citizens resolve their issues concerning medical negligence cases against the medical practitioners, the sources added.

Meanwhile, the Pims management has decided to close down the Courtesy Centre after the official working hours in the aftermath of the death of PML-N MNA Faiz Mohammad Khan.

The centre has been set up for the parliamentarians, senior federal government officials and judges of High Court and Supreme Court.

An official of the Pims said: “The decision is aimed at saving the doctors from the uncalled for VIP treatment as everyone should be treated at the accidents and emergency department.”