Faridkot medical university becomes controlling authority for all pharmacy, healthcare courses in Punjab
This responsibility was earlier held by the Department of Technical Education and Industrial Training
Aimed at strengthening healthcare education and service delivery across Punjab, Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS), Faridkot, has been officially designated as the controlling authority for all pharmacy and healthcare courses in the state. This responsibility was earlier held by the Department of Technical Education and Industrial Training. The transfer has been implemented with immediate effect through an order issued by the Director of Technical Education and Industrial Training, marking a major restructuring in the governance of health education in Punjab.
Under the new arrangement, health-related courses previously managed by IKG Punjab Technical University and Maharaja Ranjit Singh Punjab Technical University, Bathinda, will now operate under the academic and administrative oversight of BFUHS.
Dr Rajiv Sood, Vice-Chancellor of the BFUHS said that the shift is in accordance with the university’s statutes, which legally mandate that all health-related courses fall under BFUHS’s purview. He said this realignment will lead to better governance, higher academic standards, and improved outcomes for students pursuing healthcare, paramedical, and pharmacy education.
Dr Sood also pointed to significant strides the university has already made in recent years — including modernisation of infrastructure, comprehensive recruitment of qualified faculty and staff, and a strengthened emphasis on super-specialty services across its teaching hospitals. He said many positions that had remained vacant for years have now been filled, making the university a more attractive centre for skilled professionals.
In a parallel development, the Punjab Government has handed over the administration of four major government health institutions to the BFUHS to deepen the link between medical education and quality healthcare delivery. As per a recent government order, these are Civil Hospital in Badal, Muktsar; Civil Hospital, Sri Khadur Sahib, Tarn Taran district; Community Health Centre, Jalalabad; and Tertiary Cancer Care Centre, Fazilka district.
These institutions will now be managed by the BFUHS, with the university controlling administrative functions, infrastructure, and use of the facilities for education and clinical training, while ensuring continuity of services to the public. The BFUHS has also been empowered to hire its own healthcare professionals to support operations and expand services.
Dr Sood further mentioned that the university was actively expanding its nursing education sector, with several government nursing colleges already operational and more in development.
