Senate body passes SZABMU Bill with amendments

ISLAMABAD - The Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat and Capital Administration and Development approved Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Medical University (SZABMU) Bill 2013 with certain amendments complying with the demands of the hospital employees. Unlike the previous bill that was passed by the National Assembly, the new bill proposes the establishment of the Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Medical University as a separate degree awarding institute and the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) will not be upgraded into the university and will remain an attached teaching hospital of the higher education institute. The post of the Pro-Chancellor has also been abolished through the amendment. The bill is expected to be tabled in the Upper House Wednesday (today). Chairperson of the Committee Kalsoom Parveen chaired the meeting. Senator Ishaq Dar had proposed the amendments to the bill that were approved by the committee members. The employees of three public sector hospitals had opposed the bill and took to the streets against the upgradation of the Pims into Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Medical University, (PIMS) fearing the university would convert the hospitals into autonomous bodies and deprive them of their civil servant rights.