ISLAMABAD: Saying the Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) lacks recognition at the international level, stakeholders have called upon the government to restore Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) and make it autonomous, independent and transparent.

Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) Secretary GeneralDr Qaisar Sajjad while talking to Dawn said across the globe health regulatory bodies were familiar with the defunct PMDC and now they hesitated to accept documents issued by the PMC.

The PMDC existed under an Act of 1962 and then in 2012 but during the tenure of the PTI it was dissolved and around 200 employees were sacked. Later, PMC was established and the bill sailed through parliament.

Dr Sajjad said though the online system for verification of documents and renewal of licences was quite satisfactory, the process was changed a number of times due to which medical fraternity remained confused.

“Though we want to revive PMDC, it cannot happen without legislation. So I have decided to write a letter to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to deliberate with the stakeholders over the issue. Such decisions should be made after taking input from stakeholders,” he said.

Replying to a question, he said there were some positive and negative aspects of the PMC such as online application and processing system but, on the other hand, unlimited powers had been given to private medical and dental colleges.

“Currently, medical colleges are charging up to Rs2.4 million annual fee and it is their discretion to further increase it. Moreover, anyone can open a medical college and there is no proper arrangement to inspect the colleges. The current Act of PMC allows the prime minister to appoint all the seven members. In PMDC Act 1962, the members were elected through elections but there were also a number of flaws which needed to be addressed,” Dr Sajjad said.

Meanwhile, PMA Islamabad on Thursday also rejected the PMC Act, which was passed by the previous government through legislation and demanded immediate restoration of PMDC Act 2012.

PMA Islamabad PresidentDr Akhtar Ali Bandesha said all doctors and dentists go through a very rigorous and tough examination system during their MBBS and BDS but PMC has launched the National Licensing Examination (NLE) as an exit examination after house job which neither have any justification nor any example in international medical education.

PMA Islamabad Secretary General Dr Mubashir Daha said the commission had started central Medical and Dental Colleges Admission Test (MDCAT) for admission to medical colleges all over Pakistan and increased the minimum merit up to 65pc which resulted in about 1,500 seats lying vacant in government and 900 seats in private medical colleges of Punjab.

He said 900 seats were lying vacant in government and 3,000 seats in private medical colleges of Sindh and the same was the case with other provinces.

“PMC has started categorisation of government and private medical colleges and allowed them to charge fee as per their category. There is no defined merit system for the categorisation. Even a few government medical colleges (which have very good national and international reputation) have been given category C. This is only being done on likings and disliking basis. PMA Islamabad rejects this categorisation system of PMC,” he added.

“PMC has abolished the seats for overseas Pakistanis in medical colleges all over Pakistan. On the other hand, almost 15,000 Pakistani students got admission to medical colleges in Kyrgyzstan and most of these colleges are owned by Indians,” Dr Daha said.

He also rejected Federal Medical Teaching Institution (FMTI) Act, which was passed by the previous government and implemented in Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), Islamabad.

“All the appointments made through the FMTI Act are based on nepotism and no merit system has been followed. We demand proper service structure for doctors of the federal government with time scale promotion and Covid-19 risk allowance for all healthcare workers,” he said.

Centralsied admission test

According to a statement issued by the PMC, the commission will conduct the centralised computer-based MDCAT at the national level this year too. “PMC would like to refute all and any fake/unauthentic news misguiding students/public regarding the cancellation of the computerised MDCAT test and conducting MDCAT at the provincial level. The date of the MDCAT test will be announced publicly,” it stated.

Published in Dawn, April 22nd, 2022