19/11/2025
*PRESS RELEASE*
*Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA) Rejects Unilateral Changes to Punjab’s Central Induction Policy (CIP). Prof. Dr. Muhammad Hamayun, President PIMA Central Punjab*
Lahore – The Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA), representing thousands of young doctors across the province, strongly rejects the recent unilateral changes introduced by the Government of Punjab, Specialized Healthcare & Medical Education Department, to the Central Induction Policy (CIP) for postgraduate (PG) training.
PIMA warns that these abrupt revisions undermine merit, fairness, institutional stability, and the overall framework of postgraduate medical education in Punjab. The association has called upon the government to immediately withdraw the changes and to engage in meaningful consultation with all relevant stakeholders.
*PIMA’s Key Demands*
*1. Retain Matric and F.Sc Marks to Reflect Academic Consistency*
PIMA asserts that academic excellence is built over many years, and removing Matric and F.Sc marks eliminates a crucial measure of long-term academic performance. This change places consistently hardworking and high-achieving students at a disadvantage, while benefiting those with no established record of academic excellence. These marks reflect sustained hard work and consistancy of academic performance ; therefore, PIMA demands their full reinstatement within the CIP formula as in previous policy.
*2. Restore Weightage for Parent Institute and House Job*
The removal of marks for the parent medical college and house job is unjust and disadvantageous and will deprive the shinning and bright medical graduates. These components ensured that graduates received rightful priority for training in their own institutions—an advantage earned on merit after years of hard work.
PIMA demands that the previous weightage system be reinstated to safeguard the “first right” of parent institute graduates.
*3. Enforce PG Training Requirements for Private Medical Colleges*
Many private medical colleges fail to offer adequate postgraduate training opportunities despite taking millions in undergraduate while government is also failed to regulate and implement the this. This shifts the entire burden onto government hospitals, limiting training seats for public-sector graduates.
PIMA urges the government to strictly regulate private medical colleges and ensure that they establish and maintain high-standard PG training programs as part of their mandatory obligations.
*4. Expand PG Training to District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospitals*
To address the rising demand for postgraduate seats, PIMA recommends expanding PG training programs to DHQ hospitals. This expansion will enhance training capacity, strengthen healthcare delivery at the district level, and improve patient care across Punjab.
*5. Implement Policy Changes Only After a One-Year Notice and Stakeholder Consultation*
PIMA stresses that any policy modification must be announced at least one year in advance, following comprehensive consultation with all stakeholders. Sudden policy shifts disadvantage those who have been preparing under the previous policy, abruptly depriving them of the merit-based advantages they had rightfully earned.
*6. Ensuring stipend parity for PGRs in private sector*
In addition, PIMA urges the Government of Punjab to implement equal stipends for PGRs in the private sector, just as has been implemented for PGRs in the government sector.
*PIMA’s Stance*
PIMA stands united with the medical community especially young doctors aspiring post graduate medical education in rejecting these abrupt policy changes and will firmly resist any measures that threaten the merit, fairness, integrity and accessibility of postgraduate medical training. The association calls upon the Government of Punjab to reconsider its decisions and work collaboratively towards a fair, transparent, and supportive PG induction framework.
*Media Cell PIMA Central Punjab*
