Dr Ayesha’s 2nd CPSP Election Victory

Shazia Mehboob

Islamabad: For Dr Ayesha Siddiqa, winning the vice presidency of the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP) for a second time is more than a personal achievement. It marks a significant milestone for medical education in Balochistan, where doctors have long faced limited opportunities for postgraduate training.

A gold medallist from Bolan Medical College, Dr Siddiqa has built a career that has taken her from Quetta to senior positions in Pakistan’s medical education system. Her latest election victory has also placed a spotlight on efforts to expand postgraduate medical training beyond the country’s major urban centres.

Dr Siddiqa was elected vice president representing Balochistan after securing 160 votes from the province, while her rival Dr Khan Babar received 80 votes. Dr Naqeeb Achakzai secured 14 votes and Dr Shoaib Qureshi 12.

Following the elections, Dr Khalid Masood Gondal of King Edward Medical University was elected president of the CPSP, while Dr Siddiqa was chosen as vice president for Balochistan.

Her success comes alongside national recognition. She has also been awarded the President’s Pride of Performance for her contribution to medicine and medical education.

Expanding postgraduate training in Balochistan

One of Dr Siddiqa’s major contributions has been expanding access to postgraduate medical education in a province where opportunities have traditionally been limited.

During her four-year tenure as CPSP councillor and chief regional director, around 80 supervisors were created in Balochistan to train MBBS doctors in different specialties. Previously, many doctors seeking FCPS training had to travel to Lahore or Karachi.

For women doctors in particular, travelling alone to other provinces could be difficult because of social and cultural restrictions. Dr Siddiqa therefore pushed for training, examinations and professional events to be brought closer to doctors in Balochistan.

The province has since seen a substantial increase in the number of fellows and trainees pursuing postgraduate medical education, with officials estimating that the number has tripled over the past four years.

She also organised the first CPSP convocation for fellows in Quetta in three decades in May 2022.

Bringing medical education closer to doctors

Dr Siddiqa has also worked to expand training facilities and examination opportunities within the province. She played a role in efforts to recognise Sheikh Zayed Hospital Lahore for CPSP training and advocated for postgraduate opportunities at other hospitals.

She also pushed for the Intermediate Module Exam to be conducted in Quetta, reducing the need for female doctors to travel to Karachi, Lahore or Islamabad for practical examinations.

Her work has extended beyond education. She played a key role in establishing an intensive care unit at Sandeman Provincial Teaching Hospital in Quetta and organised national conferences for obstetricians and gynaecologists despite difficult law-and-order conditions.

From Balochistan to national leadership

Dr Siddiqa graduated from Bolan Medical College in 1987 with a gold medal as the institution’s best graduate. She later received a Quaid-e-Azam merit scholarship to study in the United Kingdom, where she obtained a master’s degree in gynaecological oncology from the University of Glasgow in 1995.

She completed her FCPS in Obstetrics and Gynaecology in 1996 and later served as professor and head of the OBGYN Department at Bolan Medical College.

She was also a CPSP faculty member from 2011 to 2014 and served as councillor and chief regional director for Balochistan from 2019 to 2023.

The CPSP, established through an Act of Parliament in 1962, oversees postgraduate medical education and professional development in Pakistan. Its council is elected every four years and includes representation from all four provinces.

With her latest election, Dr Siddiqa says her focus will now extend beyond Balochistan.

“Since now I have become vice president, now I will work for the entire country,” she said, adding that she intends to focus on increasing faculty, monitoring training standards and visiting hospitals to assess the quality of medical education and professional practices.

For Balochistan, her rise to one of the senior positions in the country’s postgraduate medical education system represents a broader shift: from sending doctors out of the province for specialised training to creating more opportunities for them within it.