Daijiworld Media Network - Lahore (SHP)
Lahore, Aug 7: Saudi Arabia along with a couple of other Arab countries, discarded the age-old postgraduate degree programme of Pakistan; MS (Master of Surgery) and MD (Doctor of Medicine). The degree programmes have been removed from the eligibility list of the highest paid tier.
This decision has taken the medical world by storm, rendering doctors jobless. Several Pakistanis practicing in Saudi have now been asked to leave or be ready for deportation. Saudi ministry of health expressed the reason for discarding the degrees by stating that it lacked a structured training programme, a mandatory requirement to hire medics against important positions. Following the footsteps of Saudi, other Middle Eastern countries like Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain scrapped the degree programme.
In a report by Dawn, one of the affected doctors stated that the decision was embarrassing as the same degree programme offered by India, Egypt, Sudan and Bangladesh was acceptable in Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries. Copies of service termination letters for several doctors have been issued by the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS).
The letter reads: Your application for professional qualification has been rejected. Reason is that your master degree from Pakistan is not acceptable according to the SCFHS regulations.
Few of the affected doctors and senior health officials in Pakistan blame the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP) for damaging their career.
A spokesperson for the association of University Physicians and Surgeons, Pakistan, Dr Asad Noor Mirza, termed it as disrespect to the highly qualified cream of the nation.
He claimed that CPSP delegations presented imprecise facts about Pakistan’s university programme to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, with an intention to maintain monopoly of the CPSP-sponsored FCPS qualification.
Another affected doctor, Dr Usman claimed that he contacted Director General of Collaboration Department, Saudi Arabia, Saeedul Barki, who told him that his qualification was rejected, after the CPSP delegation told the authorities that there was no training-based post-graduate medical degree in Pakistan, except FCPS. Barki stated that the CPSP president held multiple meetings with relevant officials in Saudi Arabia and asked the authorities to consider only FCSP qualified Pakistani medics for jobs.
University of Health Sciences vice chancellor, Dr Javed Akram, asserted that MS/MD programme was a structured training qualification. "The MS/MD programme started in 1914 and the first MS degree was awarded to G B Kapoor from Punjab University."
"The MS/MD degrees have been declared a five-year level-III research and clinical qualification by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council,” Akram added.
Akram claimed that University of Health Sciences and many senior medical experts from all over the country are taking up the issue and talking to the SCFHS.
According to data, there are over 4,440 postgraduates working at various government and private medical institutions in Pakistan. Over 102 are teaching as faculty members in senior positions.
CPSP president, Dr Zafarullah Chaudhry has not yet commented on the matter. However, dean (academics) of the CPSP, Professor Dr Ghulam Mustafa Arain, rejected the allegations and said the CPSP representatives are rather promoting FCPS qualification to build a healthy image of Pakistan in the field of medical education.
Secretary of Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education Department, Punjab, Momin Agha, claimed the issue was taken up by provincial health minister Dr Yasmin Rashid and the issue has been handed over to the medical education committee which was looking after under-graduate and post-graduate degree programmes.
The committee consists of senior medical teachers who will look into the issue and consider reforming it to fit accordingly to the international requirements.
Further, he claimed that the local health authorities would take up the matter with health managers in the Arab countries.