By: Salman Yousafzai
PESHAWAR: Khyber Medical College employees, clerical staff and leaders of student organisations held a joint press conference at the Peshawar Press Club and demanded the immediate establishment of a medical university for higher medical education in the province.
The speakers said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the only province where, unfortunately, no medical university has been established to date, due to which thousands of students are forced to go to other provinces and abroad.
Addressing the press conference, Samiullah Khan of All Employees Association Khyber Medical College, Sahibzada Waseem, General Secretary of APCA, leaders of various student organisations and members of Bacha Khan Welfare Society, Auliya Jan Khan said that promises were made to give university status to Khyber Medical College for the last seven decades, but practical steps were never taken. According to them, some vested interests do not want KMC to be made a university.
The leaders said that a unanimous resolution to give university status to KMC has recently been passed in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, which has been described as a big gift to the people. However, he said that despite the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government in the province for the past 13 years, the matter has been limited to resolutions only.
He said that with the granting of university status to KMC, international standard medical education will be available in the province, students will no longer need to go to China, Russia and other countries, while research activities, modern labs and the start of new MPhil, PhD, FCPS, MS, MD and Allied Health Sciences programs will be possible. This will strengthen the health system in the province, and the shortage of doctors will also be met.
The leaders demanded that Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sohail Afridi implement the resolution passed by the assembly as soon as possible because both the government and the opposition agree on it.
Samiullah Khan said that Khyber Medical College is the backbone of the province and the political announcements made for 75 years should now be converted into practical steps.
