ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly (NA) on Tuesday passed two amended bills seeking to reconstitute the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) and repeal the Medical Teaching Institution (MTI) Act.

Both the bills were moved by PPP legislator Jam Abdul Karim. Already passed by the Senate, the bills will now be sent to President Dr Arif Alvi to get his approval after which they will become an act of parliament.

It may be noted that the bills were already passed by the National Assembly but a number of amendments were made to them in the upper house and referred back to the NA for vetting.

During the first week of the current month, the Senate passed the PMDC bill but after inserting dozens of amendments into it.

Pims doctors’ representative says govt should also abolish MTI law in Punjab and KP

Leader of the opposition Dr Shahzad Waseem of the PTI had objected to the “long list of amendments”, suggesting the bill should be sent to the committee again.

“They [the government] should have no problem as they have majority in the panel,” he had maintained.

However, the treasury benches underlined the urgency to get the bill passed saying it was about the future of medical students. The opposition members alleged that the proposed legislation was meant to “create a lot of incompetent medical professionals and serve the vested interests of a mafia”.

Justifying the amendments, PPP Senator Saleem Mandviwala had alleged that chairman of the standing committee on health had behaved in a hostile manner and ridiculed the amendments and members from the treasury benches, compelling them to walk out of the meeting.

However, committee Chairman Humayun Mohmand of the PTI had rejected the allegation. He had said that in fact it was the government side that had tried to insult him and sought an apology from him though he didn’t do anything illegal. “No discussion took place on 98 per cent of the amendments,” he had claimed.

However, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani had allowed the mover of the bill, Mr Mandviwala, to present the amendments. PTI lawmakers had started clamouring and gathered close to the chairman’s dais chanting ‘No, No’. However, the bill was passed.

Under the amendments approved by the houses, the prime minister will constitute the PMDC by notification in the official gazette. The council will include three members from civil society to be nominated by the PM on the recommendations of the minister concerned, a retired high court judge or a practising lawyer with a minimum experience of 15 years, the surgeon general of the armed forces medical service, secretary National Health Services, provincial health secretaries, five licensed medical professionals, including one dentist, a chartered accountant, one philanthropist and an elected member from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Pakistan.

After a formal assent from the president, it will become an act of parliament leading to disbandment of the existing Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC).

In October 2019, President Dr Arif Alvi had promulgated an ordinance, dissolving the PMDC to replace it with a new organisation, PMC. The ordinance was converted into an act of parliament amid a controversy over appointment of the then PM Imran Khan’s cousin Dr Nosherwan Barki as its unannounced head. Inclusion of people from outside the medical profession as its members also raised eyebrows.

Similarly, as the MTI repeal bill was also passed by the National Assembly without any debate. The employees of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) on Tuesday appreciated the efforts of legislators belonging to the PPP and Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) for passing the bill.

“Leaders of the PPP, PML-N and JUI-F while in the opposition had visited Pims and participated in our protest which continued for 72 days. Although usually leaders of political parties forget their promises after coming into power, the PPP and PDM, which are now in coalition government, ensured that the bill would be passed,” Chairman Young Consultants Association Dr Asfandyar Khan told Dawn.

In November 2020, President had promulgated the MTI ordinance under which the hospital would be run through a board of governors. Though the employees protested against the ordinance, it sailed through the parliament.

However, the current government had announced to repeal the MTI act and a bill in this regard was initially passed by the National Assembly and then by the Senate and finally again from the lower house on Tuesday.

“We are thankful to the government for approving the longstanding demand of the hospital employees. We demand that the MTI law should also be abolished in Punjab and KP,” Dr Khan said.

Published in Dawn, October 19th, 2022