Specialist doctors’ uncertain future

The UNDP Health Index of Pakistan is 0.5 and there is dire need of expanding heath cover in terms and increase in the number of specialist doctors commensurate with fast population growth. On the contrary, government has introduced a skewed policy of TMOs induction by keeping more than 50 percent sanctioned slots vacant for no cogent reasons. It will be the TMOs of today who will become competent and dedicated young specialist doctors tomorrow to cater to the treatment requirements of people in future in government hospitals.

The young doctors in Khyber Pukhtunkhwa, who have qualified FCPS part-1 examination last year, are protesting against the unwarranted massive curtailment in the hitherto vacant positions for the induction of TMOs. In all 1355, young doctors have qualified this examination including 1149 MBBS and 206 BDS candidates. The available TMO induction slots for the MBBS in different specialties of medicine, surgery, pediatrics, Gynecology and Radiology are 355. In dental surgery 9 open merit one reserved seat were available. But with the departure of Dr. Amir Mehmood of Operative Dentistry to a private hospitals, the number of open merit seats came down to 6. In the prevailing scenario, the talented youth is losing interest in choosing medical profession.

The reasons of career uncertainty of future specialist doctors are well known and can be addressed if there is political and moral will. The College of Physician and Surgeons of Pakistan (CPSP) accredited senior specialist doctors are quitting their jobs in government hospitals. The accreditation of CPSP is mandatory for specialist doctor to supervise the under training medical officers for entry into various specialties. Majority of the successors of resigning and retiring senior specialist doctors are the one who have been accredited by the CPSP to supervise the TMOS. Hence 40 vacancies in the Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar alone had to be deferred for induction of TMOs. Same is the situation in Khyber Teaching hospital. Moreover, in few other teaching level hospitals TMO slots are being kept vacant for reasons of trivial nature.

Why this big gap between demand and supply occurred. The provincial government adopted an oblivious attitude and did not register five government hospitals for TMOs inductions from CPSP, including KhalifaGul Nawaz Hospital Bannu, District Headquarter Hospital Bannu, District Headquarter HoispitalLower Dir, District Headquarter Hospital Kohat and QaziHussain Ahmad Medical Complex Nowshera. Memorandum of understanding (MOUs) had been signed with CMH Peshawar and CMH Abbottabad to accommodate TMOs for training purpose. But no MOU has been signed with well-equipped private hospitals like Rahman Medical Institute and Northwest Hospital at Peshawar. It is pertinent to mention that after the increase in the number of government and private medical colleges, Doctors Associations had drawn the attention of the government about likely demand supply gap in 2013. But appropriate measures were not taken to address this emerging issue.