Hostels of Dow and Sindh Medical colleges and doctors' mess of Civil Hospital, Karachi, were sealed on Friday morning. The decision was taken in a meeting of Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) syndicate on Friday. DUHS Vice Chancellor Professor Masood Hameed chaired the meeting.
A ban has also been imposed on political activities of student organisations in the premises of DUHS and its affiliated colleges. "If any student found involved in political activity, strict action would be taken against him/her under the Student Conduct Rules", he said in the meeting.
Sources told Business Recorder that after the killing of a student in the Jinnah Post-Graduate Medical Centre (JPMC), the administration of Dow Medical College (DMC) issued notices to all medical and nursing students, staying in the hostels, to immediately vacate the premises. "Notices were pasted on the notice board of the hostels on late Thursday night that's why the students could not comply the order", they added.
On Friday morning, Rangers personnel entered the hostels and got them vacated, they said, and added that all the hostels had been sealed as per the instructions of the DMC administration.
"Hostels are sealed on the instructions of the DUHS Vice Chancellor," said Dr Farhat Mirza, Incharge of boys hostels. Sources said that the doctor's mess had also been vacated from the doctors, who were residing in it. It is learnt that law-enforcement agencies personnel had been deployed in the medical colleges and two main hospitals.
The order created serious concern among the healthcare professionals and trainees of Civil Hospital, Karachi, and Lyari General Hospital (LGH), two teaching hospitals, annexed with the Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS). On the third consecutive day after the death of a student of JPMC, the situation of Jinnah Hospital remained tense and the out-patient department (OPD) remained closed due to which a large number of patients faced difficulties and had to rush to the Civil Hospital for emergency medical aid.
"It is not sure but we will try to start OPD in Jinnah Hospital from Saturday, said Dr Seemi Jamali, while talking to Business Recorder. THE DUHS and its affiliated colleges, Sindh Medical College (SMC), Dow Medical College (DMC) and Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) remain closed.
Besides, the situation was tense and uneasy in Karachi University, NED University of Engineering, Dawood Engineering College and Jamia Millia College and Technical Institute. Additional contingents of security personnel of law-enforcement agencies were deputed in educational institutions on the request of respective administrations.