Wants college registrations cancelled and reexamined. PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD:
A sub-committee of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Health has said that the medical colleges that were registered by the former executive committee of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) without the approval of the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (NHSRC) should be declared illegal.
The sub-committee on Monday also directed the NHSRC ministry to probe all controversial medical colleges that were registered by the PMDC’s former executive committee.
“The names of all medical colleges that were registered without being notified by the NHRSC ministry should also be removed from the list of registered colleges on the PMDC website,” said Sub-committee Chairman Dr Zulfiqar Ali Bhatti.
He said that members of the former executive committee took bribes to register medical colleges which lack faculty, adding that the money taken against such registrations should be reimbursed and the people involved should be punished, he said.
Sub-committee member Dr Muhammad Azhar Khan Jadoon expressed concern over the declining standards of medical education as a result of such dishonesty.
“Medical colleges already face a 40 per cent shortfall of teachers,” he said.
The chairman said that a curriculum of international standard should be followed by all the medical colleges, both in private and public set ups, to maintain quality.
NHSRC Director General Dr Jehanzeb Aurakzai informed the sub-committee that it was a time-consuming process but will be done on priority basis.
The sub-committee also expressed displeasure with PMDC Registrar Dr Raja Amjad Mehmood, who has been sent on forced leave.
“He should immediately be repatriated to his parent department. There is no point of sending him on forced leave as he will be getting full salary and enjoying all perk and privileges,” said members of the sub-committee.
PMDC Chairperson Prof Dr Ghiasuddin Butt informed the sub-committee that a total of 2,284 applications of doctors for registrations were pending with the PMDC. He said “everyone knows why their registrations were pending and which people were registered in place of them” by the former executive committee.
“The registration process hardly takes four weeks, however, the committee will probe this delay and make all out efforts to resolve the issue,” he said. The sub-committee chairman directed the PMDC management committee to revamp the registration process and start registering doctors and medical students at their regional offices.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 8th, 2014.
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