KARACHI, Jan 18: The Pakistan Medical Association has expressed its deep concern over the conduct of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council with regard to medical education and medical colleges in the country.
In a press release, it said that the PMDC had recently issued notices to 22 colleges across the country, expressing its concern over their standard of education. Out of these colleges, some were closed while others were extended time for improving their standard.
It alleged that the former secretary of the council used the PMDC for his personal gains and minted millions in the process.
The present council should have investigated his conduct, especially in relation to recognition of medical colleges.
The PMDC should not have pursued double standards for private and public medical colleges. It is also not enough to issue notices to medical colleges, as by following the same mechanism, they would never close their colleges.
The same colleges continue to give admissions and they charge huge amount in the head of tuition fees. The PMDC should come hard on such institutes by acquiring the help of police and courts and they be closed down permanently.
The PMDC should also take responsibility of students already studying in these colleges as a formula needed to be formulated for already established medical colleges, like Baqai and Ziauddin, ensuring they do not close and continue complying with the prescribed rules and regulations of the PMDC.
The colleges, like Bhutta and Swat and Bin Qasim Medical be immediately closed as these institutes are not even established in proper buildings.
The PMA demanded the council to have discussion with stake-holders and the PMA with regard to future of medical education in the country.
Besides the government should also make the PMDC an autonomous body with powers to act against the people who are responsible for corruption in medical colleges.
PCFM: The Pakistan College of Family Medicine also registered its strong reservation regarding the role of Pakistan Medical and Dental Council in streamlining the educational-cum-training procedures on the part of private medical colleges and universities.
Dr. Aziz Khan Tank, secretary-general of the association, said the arbitrary decision undertaken by the PMDC, over the years to register these institutions without proper scrutiny and latter failing to ensure their proper functioning had played a havoc with the future of a large number of students enrolled with these institutions.
He also referred to the fact that warnings had been issued and action taken only recently against institutions mainly pertaining to Sindh only, though similar institutions in the NWFP and the Punjab were also reported to be indulging in similar misdoings.
He was also critical of the PMDC’s indifference towards the issue of quacks and quackery.
“In fact, the PMDC had emerged as their ultimate benefactor as no action against the so-called training institutions of alternative medicine had ever been taken,” he said, mentioning that they were even distributing their degrees with impunity.
He also regretted absence of any representation of general medical practitioners or family physicians in the PMDC, mentioning that the PMDC had also failed to establish its regional centre in Sindh, causing great inconvenience to local medical graduates and post-graduates seeking registration with the PMDC.
Dr. Aziz Khan Tank also registered his concern over arbitrary raise in fees for medical practitioners applying for registration with the PMDC. The increase, he said, was made without consulting the PMA or the National Association of GPs/FPs.— APP
