Newly-elected PMA leaders rubbish corruption charges
April 13, 2012
Karachi
Prominent gynecologist and the newly-elected president of the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) Sindh, Dr Samrina Hashmi and general secretary Dr Hadi Bux Jatoi refuted allegations of misappropriating money from the PMA’s Flood Relief Fund.
Dr Hashmi said signatures of four office bearers were required to draw money from the account, including the treasurer’s, and if four were not available, then signatures of at least two persons were essential, the treasurer’s included.
At a crowded news conference at the Karachi Press Club (KPC) on Thursday afternoon, Dr Hashmi said she has been an active member of the PMA since 1985 and also participated in different movements spearheaded by the PMA.
“Doctors in Sindh have been promoted after 20 long years and their allowances have also been increased and everybody is a witness that I, along with my fellow doctors, took an active part to get our due rights,” Hashmi said.
She said her struggle was not confined to that of the doctors alone, but she and her colleagues also stood by the nurses, lawyers and other professionals when they demanded their rights. “I was also an activist of left-wing National Students Federation (NSF) when I was a student,” she said. “Both my father and mother were also PMA members,” she said.
“We are here to introduce our new cabinet,” Hashmi said. “Council members and delegates of 23 out of our 28 branches in Sindh, took part in elections,” she said. “Delegates and council members from the remaining branches were not able to participate as roads were blocked in some areas on the very day of the election, on account of the murder of a nationalist leader, Bashir Qureshi,” she added. She said her cabinet would work for the next two years.
Dr Hadi Bux Jatoi said he has been the provincial director general, health for almost eight years and also the president PMA (Centre). “I think I am the only director general health who joined doctors when they went on a hunger strike outside the Karachi Press Club,” he said.
“As many as 180 council members and delegates participated in the elections which were held in Hyderabad on April 8,” he said. “We are a democratic people and essentially, field workers,” he said. “When I was suspended during my tenure as director general health, agencies investigated, found nothing against me, and I was reinstated,” he said.
He said an Election Commission was established prior to the elections of the PMA’s Sindh chapter and 39 people contested elections. Eight amongst them got elected. “I give one week to my friends who have made allegations against us,” Jatoi said. “If they fail to go for remedial measures we will knock the doors of a court of law,” he said.
Dr Hashmi said she and her other colleagues were not for divisive politics in the PMA but she protested “when election forms were filled out at Dr Tipu Sultan’s residence. I made an objection because it was selection, and not election. I said our young colleagues who had worked day and night for providing relief to the flood victims should be allowed to lead PMA Sindh.”
“This infuriated the group that has been dominating the PMA for years and a campaign was launched against me,” Hashmi said. Hashmi said PMA Karachi has a membership of 11,000 doctors and only a general body with two-third strength could expel her, not a notice, in accordance with PMA constitution.
“I don’t have a vested interest,” Hashmi said. “Nor have I been sidelined. They have been sidelined,” she said. Responding to a question that was it was not a better option to request senior doctors to intervene to save the PMA from a split, Dr Hashmi said she had already contacted Prof Haroon Ahmed, Prof Adib-ul-Hasan Rizvi, Dr Badar Siddiqui and Prof Jaffer Naqvi to play their role in the issue.
“We are not for a split in the PMA,” said Dr. Jatoi. “We are saying only those people should lead us who enjoy doctors’ trust,” he said.
Prominent gynecologist and the newly-elected president of the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) Sindh, Dr Samrina Hashmi and general secretary Dr Hadi Bux Jatoi refuted allegations of misappropriating money from the PMA’s Flood Relief Fund.
Dr Hashmi said signatures of four office bearers were required to draw money from the account, including the treasurer’s, and if four were not available, then signatures of at least two persons were essential, the treasurer’s included.
At a crowded news conference at the Karachi Press Club (KPC) on Thursday afternoon, Dr Hashmi said she has been an active member of the PMA since 1985 and also participated in different movements spearheaded by the PMA.
“Doctors in Sindh have been promoted after 20 long years and their allowances have also been increased and everybody is a witness that I, along with my fellow doctors, took an active part to get our due rights,” Hashmi said.
She said her struggle was not confined to that of the doctors alone, but she and her colleagues also stood by the nurses, lawyers and other professionals when they demanded their rights. “I was also an activist of left-wing National Students Federation (NSF) when I was a student,” she said. “Both my father and mother were also PMA members,” she said.
“We are here to introduce our new cabinet,” Hashmi said. “Council members and delegates of 23 out of our 28 branches in Sindh, took part in elections,” she said. “Delegates and council members from the remaining branches were not able to participate as roads were blocked in some areas on the very day of the election, on account of the murder of a nationalist leader, Bashir Qureshi,” she added. She said her cabinet would work for the next two years.
Dr Hadi Bux Jatoi said he has been the provincial director general, health for almost eight years and also the president PMA (Centre). “I think I am the only director general health who joined doctors when they went on a hunger strike outside the Karachi Press Club,” he said.
“As many as 180 council members and delegates participated in the elections which were held in Hyderabad on April 8,” he said. “We are a democratic people and essentially, field workers,” he said. “When I was suspended during my tenure as director general health, agencies investigated, found nothing against me, and I was reinstated,” he said.
He said an Election Commission was established prior to the elections of the PMA’s Sindh chapter and 39 people contested elections. Eight amongst them got elected. “I give one week to my friends who have made allegations against us,” Jatoi said. “If they fail to go for remedial measures we will knock the doors of a court of law,” he said.
Dr Hashmi said she and her other colleagues were not for divisive politics in the PMA but she protested “when election forms were filled out at Dr Tipu Sultan’s residence. I made an objection because it was selection, and not election. I said our young colleagues who had worked day and night for providing relief to the flood victims should be allowed to lead PMA Sindh.”
“This infuriated the group that has been dominating the PMA for years and a campaign was launched against me,” Hashmi said. Hashmi said PMA Karachi has a membership of 11,000 doctors and only a general body with two-third strength could expel her, not a notice, in accordance with PMA constitution.
“I don’t have a vested interest,” Hashmi said. “Nor have I been sidelined. They have been sidelined,” she said. Responding to a question that was it was not a better option to request senior doctors to intervene to save the PMA from a split, Dr Hashmi said she had already contacted Prof Haroon Ahmed, Prof Adib-ul-Hasan Rizvi, Dr Badar Siddiqui and Prof Jaffer Naqvi to play their role in the issue.
“We are not for a split in the PMA,” said Dr. Jatoi. “We are saying only those people should lead us who enjoy doctors’ trust,” he said.
