Hamid Khan Wazir
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Despite being the first government medical university in Islamabad, Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University (SZABMU) did not have its own campus after almost six years of its establishment due to which the university was facing numinous problems.
However, the university is most likely to get its own campus shortly since the incumbent government gave special priority to the health sector, as health was remain nowhere in the priority list of the past government.
The university was even remained without a permanent Vice Chancellor for almost two years, which also caused several problems since the acting VC didn’t have power to take important decisions.
The Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) recently appointed second Vice Chancellor (VC) of Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University (SZABMU), which was widely welcomed and hoped the several problems facing the university would resolve. 
The newly-appointed Vice chancellor (VC) Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University Dr Tanwir Khali, during his interaction with journalists here on Tuesday claimed that the federal government has offered a piece of land for establishment the university campus somewhere near National Institute of Health (NIH).
He said that Capital Development Authority (CDA) has already agreed for allocation of the land and he would plan to meet President Dr Arif Alvi next week to find out solution to this problem.
He said that the federal dental college will be assumed from Jan, 2020, adding that there were certain problems facing by the university in the beginning; however later PIMS facilitated the university as a teaching hospital; however the establishment of own campus would help reduce several problems
He further said that the PMDC had defined that medical university of four provinces including Islamabad are permitted to take admission test for the medical colleges. The affiliated colleges are IMDC, HBS, Rawal Institute along with Mohi Uddin Medical College AJK.
The VC said that the HEC has allocated a budget of 100 million which is sufficient for the college but we will try our best to generate revenue through our own resources so as to deal with financial issues.
He said that if we have to meet the international standards in medical field then we have to strictly follow the merit so that professionals could be engaged in the industry to boost up the morale of medical students.
The VC said that we have 15 professors who are working as permanent faculty whereas 131 are visiting faculty that includes professors, assistant professors and associates, who are from PIMS and they are teaching voluntarily.
The basic aim of the SZABMU is to produce research fellows from the university in the coming three years and they will be available in the market. Till now four batches have been passed that includes over 100 students, he maintained.
He demanded that land is necessary for the university and the government should help us in acquiring land for this purpose, adding to maintain the quality and standard of the institute, we have quality assurance department.
Tanwir Khaliq said that merit would not be compromised and it would be maintained in the medical industry exams at all cost so as to produce professionals, who could serve the nation. “We also have to establish a directorate of research, innovation and commercialisation,” he said.
