LAHORE: Multan Nishtar Medical University (NMU) Vice Chancellor (VC) Prof Dr Mehnaz Khakwani appeared before Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider Khan here on Tuesday and defended her position while raising some legal points, saying there were no provisions in the law to hold the VC of a medical varsity responsible for any mismanagement in the attached hospital.

Sources said the arguments of the NMU VC were based on the rules, regulations and the provisions of the Act of the Nishtar Medical University which has clearly defined the role of the VC.

Dr Khakwani is struggling hard for her survival as first woman vice chancellor of the only public sector medical university of South Punjab following the incidence of outbreak of HIV/AIDS in the attached Nishtar Hospital Multan about three months back. There were reports that some elements in the Punjab health department were misleading Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz by dragging the VC NMU in the matter to make the inquiries controversial reportedly with a prime objective of ‘rescuing the doctors/employees concerned of the hospital’ responsible for the negligence in the abovementioned incident.

The Punjab governor/chancellor had summoned the VC for a personal hearing after the chief minister reportedly held her responsible for the issue that surfaced in the attached hospital.

Tells governor that teaching hospital management is MS’ responsibility; says sheis accountable for only varsity according to law

The sources said Dr Mehnaz Khakwani briefed the governor that as the vice chancellor she was chief executive officer of the university and her duty was to ensure that the provisions of Act, status, regulations, and rules are faithfully observed. She briefed the Punjab governor that the Section 7 of Nishtar Medical University Act 2017 states, “The University shall exercise the powers conferred on it by or under the Act in respect of its teaching jurisdiction over the Hospitals, school or institutes attached to it”.

This Act has limited the involvement of the VC in any internal and administrative matters of the attached hospital/constituent hospital.

The sources said that Dr Mehnaz also briefed the governor/chancellor about the ‘powers of the VC’ as defined under the Act. She said the Nishtar Hospital Multan was one of the five constituent hospitals of the NMU and all administrative matters pertaining to the hospital were looked after by its medical superintendent (MS) and his management team.

Ms Khakwani further apprised the governor of the steps she had initiated as VC soon after the incident of outbreak of the HIV/AIDs reported in the dialysis unit of the Nishtar Hospital Multan, according to the sources.

During the proceedings, she protested the action of the Punjab government of holding her responsible for the incident without waiting for the outcome of the inquiry and declared it a premature decision and against the norms of justice.

She apprised the governor that the samples for the comprehensive genome sequencing to find the origin of the HIV/AIDS virus had been sent to a leading private laboratory, which would play a decisive role to clear the situation as to how and from where the dialysis patients of the Nishtar Hospital Multan carried the virus.

Without waiting for the results of the lab reports and the consequent inquiry report, any punitive action against her and any other teaching faculty member would be a clear violation of the fair dispensation of justice, she said.

The sources said, the NMU VC claimed that the Punjab health authorities had declared the principal of the Nishtar Medical College innocent in the middle of the inquiry into the incident. Shockingly, the VC was held guilty at the same time, which showed the victimization elements in making the ‘controversial decision’ while dealing with the heads of the two medical institutions, the source said quoting Dr Khakwani.

“It would also be disgraceful for me as I have been the best graduate of not only the Nishtar Medical College but also gold medalist at the national level after my FSc and post graduation as well,” she told the governor.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) expressed its displeasure over the one-sided action against the NMU VC and other doctors initiated by the Punjab government, declaring it the worst-ever victimisation towards the medical professionals on the faulty reporting of the health bureaucracy.

The PMA announced that it would use all options to extend support to the VC and the faculty members of the NMU if any one of them was punished or victimised without holding proper inquiries to dig out the facts.

The issue of alleged ‘removal of the NMU VC and the joint resignations tendered by 31 faculty members of the same varsity has reminded the case of Sahiwal Medical College when on June 20, 2024, over 236 doctors, faculty members, heads of departments, and 36 allied hospital staff had resigned from Sahiwal Medical College and the attached teaching hospital in response to the brutal action of police against the medics.

According to the reports, the tension has escalated in the NMU and the attached hospital as the health professionals, young medics and other employees are flexing muscles to offer strong resistance in this respect.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Nov 22 had visited the Nishtar Hospital Multan and directed the health secretary to initiate strict departmental action against NMU VC Mehnaz Khakwani, Nishtar Hospital MS Dr Mohammad Kazim Khan, head of the nephrology department, and five other medics and other staff after multiple inquiry reports confirmed outbreak of HIV/AIDS led to transmission of the virus to 25 patients. The CM also directed Punjab Health Secretary Azmat Mahmood to move a case to the Pakistan Medical & Dental Council to get the licences of the medics involved in this regard suspended.

Published in Dawn, January 1st, 2025