KGMC principal’s appointment held in abeyance

PESHAWAR: The appointment of gynaecologist, Prof Dr Iqbal Begum as principal Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s lone public sector medical college for women, Khyber Girls Medical College (KGMC), has brought the provincial Health Department and Board of Governors (BoG) at virtual loggerhead.
The government held her appointment order in abeyance and gave the additional charge of the college principal to Prof Dr Noor Wazir, Medical Director of Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC).
Senior faculty members of the college told The News the Health Department held its decision in abeyance after the BoG members conveyed their concern to the government over appointment of Dr Iqbal Begum as principal KGMC.
The BoG members had also requested the government to take back its order and let it handle the affairs of the medical college and its teaching hospital, HMC.
The Health Department had appointed Dr Iqbal Begum as principal KGMC on August 28 on acting charge basis. She was the first female principal of the college since its establishment in 2004 by the clergy-led Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA),
Health Minister Shahram Khan Tarakai told The News they would support the BoG and this was the reason the appointment order was held in abeyance after receiving the complaint from the BoG members. “I spent my energies on the MTI Act and the aim was to improve standard of the medical and teaching institutions. We respect their authority. There is no way I will weaken the BoGs or interfere in their work,” Shahram Tarakai pledged.
He said in consultation with the BoG members, the additional charge of the principal was handed over to Dr Noor Wazir. The health minister said they had sent a letter to the Law Department for seeking its opinion about the appointment of Dr Iqbal Begum.
Interestingly, Dr Noor Wazir had to take the charge of one institution from two different principals.
Senior faculty members of the college told The News that both the professors were adamant that they were holding charge of the principal.
“It was an embarrassment for Dr Iqbal Begum as she was appointed only a few days ago. She was receiving felicitation messages from her well-wishers when she was removed from the post,” a senior faculty member said.
However, other faculty members felt Prof Dr Abid Hussain and the teaching staff were hurt the way he was unceremoniously removed from his post.
“He had served the college for more than two years and was supposed to complete his three-year term in February 2016,” one of the faculty members said.
Meanwhile, chairman BoG Sahibzada Mohamamd Saeed told The News that they had informed the government that there was no urgency in appointing a principal for the KGMC.