Daily Times

PESHAWAR: Students of the Institute of Paramedical Science (IPMS) Hayatabad demonstrated outside the Khyber Medical University (KMU), protesting against it transferring its registration and affiliation to Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Paramedical College, a state run institute.

Talking to Daily Times, the representative of the protesting committee on Wednesday said that IPMS has been affiliated with KMU since 2012, but without any prior notification the university authority shifted the affiliation to Zulifiqar Ali Bhutto Para-Medical College.

The protester’s Himad and Shahkir of the 4th Batch students at IPMS said that the decision came during the middle of their degree and it would negatively affect the student of the IPMS financially and mentally. “The students’ categorically reject the decision and called it an anti health education policy of the KMU,” protestors said.

IPMS, an affiliated institute of KMU for the study of medical technologies including Anesthesia, Pathology, Cardiology and other medical technologies was established and affiliated with KMU in 2012. When the decision comes into effect, the students of the PMIS would be entitled to take classes further in Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Para-Medical Medical College located in Duran Pur Peshawar.

Hundreds of students held placards inscribe and chanted against the KMU’s decision of transferring the affiliation of IPMS to Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical College.

The official of the Zulfiqar Ali Buttoo Para-Medical College, requesting anonymity, spoke to Daily Times, revealing that the KMU and Health Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) had recently signed an MoU. He said in light of the MoU, the affiliation of all B.S students of Para-medical technology colleges of the province would be transferred to government-run institute Zulfiqar Ali Butto Medical College. He further said that as result of this decision, the students of the IPMS would take its classes further in ZAB Medical College located in Duran-Pur.

Pleading anonymity, a senior official of the Health Department said that the MoU was against the KMU Act of 2012, which stipulated that the university was not authorized to transfer the right of affiliation to other government and non government colleges. He said that the constitution of the KMU does not allow the college to implement such kinds of decisions, adding that the decision was against the spirit and letter of the Act.

The KMU Registrar Fazal Muhammad said that a meeting with protesting students took place and the issue would be resolved soon, adding the students have been misguided regarding the decision of transferring the affiliation.