ISLAMABAD: The Federal Cabinet on Wednesday approved in principle the proposed draft bill for the separation of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) from Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Medical University (SZABMU).

However, the Pims employees seemed to be in no mood to call off the strike began on Oct 2, and have decided to call a meeting on Thursday morning.

The cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Shahid Khagan Abbasi, approved the proposed draf t bill unanimously as no minister objected to the contents of the bill.

Minister of State for Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD)Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry briefed the Cabinet on the proposed bill, and explained the administrative requirements for the segregation of the University and the hospital.

The proposed bill was approved by the Cabinet Committee for Disposal of Legislative Cases last week.

Minister for CADD, in his briefing to the Cabinet, said that since 2013, when the SZABMU was created and the administrative control of Pims was given to the University, there had been perpetual unrest among the employees of the hospital.

This uneasiness was hindering the proper disposal of medical services at the hospital, he added.

The minister said former prime minister Nawaz Sharif had in principle made a decision to separate the two organisations in November last year on the recommendation of CADD.

After the approval of the then prime minister, the process of preparing the draft bill was initiated in consultation with otherstakeholders, including Ministry of Law, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Finance, Federal Public Service Commission and Establishment Division.

The proposed bill after approval from the Cabinet Committee for Disposal of Legislative Cases last week was finally approved by the Cabinet.

Dr Tariq Fazal said that the name of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Medical University was not being changed and the university would continue to work according to its teaching mandate.

He said that the separation of the two organisations would help in managing the affairs of both the organisations in a better way.

A representative of the employees, requesting anonymity, said that there was a long way to go as bill was yet to be tabled in the parliament.

`Though employees want to continue strike till the passage of the bill, we will make a final decision on Thursday morning, he said.