He said this while addressing the 4th Convocation of the Services Institute of Medical Sciences (SIMS) on Thursday. Principal of the SIMS Prof Mahmood Ayaz, vice-chancellors of the University of Health Sciences, King Edward Medical University and Fatima Jinnah Medical University also participated. In the convocation, 191 students of SIMS got their degrees while the position-holders were awarded with gold medals.
Justice Nisar advised the students to serve the nation with national zeal and fervour and fulfill their obligations towards the ailing humanity. Referring to his suo motu notices regarding high fees charged by private medical colleges and lack of facilities at several public sector hospitals, he said he was trying to "end the exploitation." He lamented that private hospitals are no longer academic institutions and have become business centres. "The court recovered Rs726 million from the millions earned by private medical colleges as fee and returned it back to the students," he said.
He said it was his "judicial duty" to lay down a criterion for medical colleges to ensure that they don't exploit students and parents. "Did I exceed my jurisdiction by laying down criteria [which ensures] that tertiary hospitals have enough number of doctors and staff and drugs in order to discharge the obligation of the guardianship [imposed upon the judiciary]?" he asked.
The CJP on the occasion narrated his observations during his visits to hospitals across all four provinces and regretted that medical facilities in the country were not satisfactory. He talked about female doctors who abandon practice after getting their degrees. "If you sit at home and become housewives [after receiving medical education], you violate the oath that you swore today which is to help the miserable." He added that there were flaws in hospital management systems and curbing flaws of institutions is the constitutional responsibility of the judiciary. "We did not interfere in the internal matters of any institution," he said.
He said: "I have spent my whole life working for the provision of justice. The purpose of my life is to stay loyal to my profession. The real service is to fulfill your professional responsibilities with sincerity. My test has started and its results will come after I retire."
Recalling incidents from his childhood, Justice Saqib Nisar said, "When I was eight years old, I used to take my mother to the doctor in a horse carriage and we used to spend hours at the clinic. My mother taught my brother and me to serve humanity and prayed to God to protect us from all difficulties."
Principal of the Services Institute of Medical Sciences Prof Mahmood Ayaz hailed the efforts of the CJP in the field of health. He added the endeavours of Justice Mian Saqib Nisar will be written with golden words and the coming generations will also remember them.