KARACHI: Autonomous status for PMDC being considered
KARACHI, April 1: Federal Health Minister Abdul Malik Kasi has said the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) is not considering cancelling the affiliation of any private medical college in Sindh.
Talking to reporters at the Special Convocation-2002 of the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP) here on Sunday, he said the structure and constitution of the PMDC itself was under review, and it was being considered to make the PMDC autonomous.
He said an in-built mechanism would be integral to an autonomous PMDC in order to prevent it from being misused. He maintained that submissions made to turn the PMDC into four separate entities and put each under provincial health ministries would kill the actual spirit of the government’s policy.
The minister reiterated that decisions being made about various institutions was in accordance with merit, which was the sole criterion.
Responding to queries made about the General Sales Tax, the minister said the federal government had constituted a committee to review the list of Essential and Life-saving Drugs. He said against 120 medicines approved as essential by the federal ministry of health, government healthcare outlets held a list of 65 drugs categorized as the same.
Mr Kasi said 500 drugs were to be reviewed and reassessed in the light of their purpose and efficacy by the committee comprising senior medical professionals, senior pharmacologist, representatives of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association and the Drug Exporters Associations along with the authorities concerned.
About the big price differences in pharmacological formulations available in the local market under different brand names, the minister said the issue needed to be settled by pharmaceutical companies.
“However, the issue, if raised by the public and medical professionals, can be duly taken up by the government,” he added.
Speaking on the occasion, Sindh Governor Mohammedmian Soomro said the government alone could not undertake 100 per cent responsibilities for the health care of the people, so steps were being taken to take up collaborative programmes in coordination with the private sector and NGOs.
CPSP President Prof Sultan Farooqui said the College functioning since 1962 had till now produced 8,663 experts in 46 disciplines.
At the special convocation, more than 25 experts from Pakistan and abroad were awarded fellowships.—APP
