ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council decided on Wednesday to constitute a committee to review PMDC regulations amended over the past few years.

A meeting of the council, presided over by its President Dr Shabir Lehri, also announced next dates for the examination of over 4,000 foreign graduates.

Council members Senator Dr Jehanzeb Jamaldini and the Director General, Health, Dr Asad Hafeez, also attended the meeting.

Talking to Dawn, Dr Lehri said that the council decided to close Rahbar Medical and Dental College, Lahore. The college had got a stay from the Lahore High Court against its possible closure a few months ago, but later it was vacated.

He said the meeting decided to re-inspect Sahara Medical College, Narowal. The college was inspected last month but later its then principal Dr Saeed Shafi informed the council that there were rented furniture and equipment at the time of inspection.

Dr Shafi also informed the council that 50 per cent faculty members have resigned because they were not paid their salary for three months.

Dr Lehri said the council decided to ban further admissions in Rawal Institute of Health Science, Islamabad, because the college and its affiliated hospital were situated in the same building, while according to rules they should be in separate buildings and compounds.

He said that Al-Razi Medical College, Peshawar, which did not possess its own building, had been ordered to give an undertaking that it would build a building within nine months and submit a report regarding construction work every three months.

It was decided that the security money of Rs50 million deposited by the Northern Institute of Medical Sciences, Abbottabad, at the time of its registration, would be used for paying fee of 300 students and remaining amount will be returned to the former management.

The college was closed two years ago on the orders of the Peshawar High Court and students were distributed among different colleges.

The council approved the National University of Medical Sciences, Rawalpindi, which was registered by the acting management committee of the PMDC in 2015, and declared up to the mark.

The meeting decided that the National Examination Board, in collaboration with Shaheed Zulifkar Ali Bhutto Medical University, Islamabad, will conduct an examination of over 400 foreign graduates at the Pak-China Friendship Centre on June 2 and 3. The curriculum for exam will be uploaded on website within a few days.

The meeting condemned a recent attempt by the former management to occupy the PMDC building and authorised Dr Lehri to take any action, including getting an FIR registered, after taking the Ministry of National Health Services into confidence.

Published in Dawn, May 5th, 2016