Punjab bans medical university vice-chancellors from private practice — Dawn
Authorities in Pakistan’s Punjab province have required newly appointed vice-chancellors of five public medical universities to give up private medical practice for the duration of their four-year terms. Before appointment notifications were issued, they signed an undertaking set out in a 13-point form, Dawn reports.
New appointments
Professor Mahmood Ayaz was appointed vice-chancellor of King Edward Medical University. Retired Major General Sohail Sabir was appointed vice-chancellor of the University of Health Sciences, retired Major General Suhail Amin of Rawalpindi Medical University, and Professor Syed Asghar Naqi of Faisalabad Medical University.
Professor Zohra Khanum was appointed vice-chancellor of Fatima Jinnah Medical University. Notifications of the appointments of Khanum and Naqi were issued on Tuesday, while notifications for the other three heads were issued on Wednesday.
According to the publication, the condition requiring them to refrain from private practice had previously been violated by some heads of these same universities during earlier terms.
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Terms of the undertaking
The signed undertaking prohibits vice-chancellors from directly or indirectly engaging in private practice at clinics, hospitals, diagnostic centres, laboratories, consulting institutions or elsewhere. They also may not provide medical services for private remuneration, fees or any other benefit during their full-time tenure as vice-chancellors.
The ban covers activities conducted through intermediaries, partners, family members, institutions or other arrangements. Without prior written permission from the competent authority, where such permission is allowed by law, they may not hold other positions or carry out other assignments — paid or unpaid — in public or private organisations.
The vice-chancellors undertook to disclose actual, potential or likely conflicts of interest and not to use their official position, influence or institutional resources for private, personal or professional gain. They must also end commitments incompatible with the position before taking office. Violating the terms, concealing information or providing misleading information may result in the withdrawal of the appointment offer, dismissal, disciplinary proceedings or other measures provided by law.
