ISLAMABAD: Apparently, to improve its financial health, the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) Tuesday became Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Medical University under an act of parliament passed last year.

But the formal announcement of the changeover, at a special ceremony by the management of the city’s biggest government-run hospital, met a very unhealthy reaction from the 4,000 employees of Pims who announced a token strike for Thursday.

“We may go for an indefinite strike next week,” said the general secretary of the employees union, Sher Mohammad Hazara, on the occasion.

“This (changeover) not only makes the future of all employees — from doctors to sweepers — uncertain but will also rob the public of free treatment as the government will stop funding the Rs2 billion annual budget of Pims,” he told Dawn, asserting that the Pims staff wanted to continue working as government employees.

“Come next fiscal year and the university will feel huge financial crunch. Its budget will be funded through the HEC (Higher Education Commission) and the HEC stresses self generation of funds,” he said, predicting that the management of the new setup “will have no choice but to charge patients for all hospital services which are currently free”.

The university’s vice-chancellor, Prof Javed Akram, however, was elated that the change empowers Pims to award degrees, diplomas, certificates and other academic distinctions, to the medical staff it teaches or trains in 28 disciplines.

So far, the Quaid-i-Azam University had been conducting exams and awarding the degrees to the Pims pupils.

Prof Akram noted that Pims is starting to act as an independent university by holding the exams of Arthrology.

“It is a positive move. Since Pims has the resources, it can perform much better than those universities that start from zero. I am sure that the university will produce the best human resource,” he said.

It would be the job of the university faculty to ensure quality treatment to the economically-deprived patients who come to Pims, said the vice chancellor.

Dr Masoom Yasinzai, who, as former vice chancellor of QAU, had supported the process of converting Pims into a university, called it a big day for the hospital.

“Now Pims has its own statutory body, syndicate and most of the members of the syndicate will belong to the health department. So it will become easier to take decisions in favour of faculty, students, patients and hospital,” he said.

“Information technology has increased the flow of information enormously and with that the responsibility of faculty has also increased,” he said.

“I expect the faculty members to do more research work and concentrate on character building of their students as well. The university should never compromise on quality.”

Federal Secretary of the Capital Administration and Development Division, Fareedullah Khan, assured the management of Pims that the division will continue supporting the hospital and he will be ready for any assistance.

When the PPP-led government moved the Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Medical University (Pims), Islamabad, bill in February 2013, political circles took it as a self-aggrandisement move. But the Pims employees largely saw it as disturbing.

Established with Japanese assistance in 1985, Pims has been providing specialist training in 28 disciplines of medicine, surgery and dentistry.

Presently 550 doctors are under training at this institute.

It also provides basic courses and postgraduate training to nurses and paramedics in various disciplines.