ISLAMABAD, Jan 22: Pakistan Medical and Dental Association (PM&DC) Wednesday apprised Federal Minister of Health Mohammad Nasir Khan that a number of medical and dental colleges in the country were operating without any legal authority for the last four to five years.

The minister was ‘astonished’ when the council brought the matter to his knowledge at a briefing arranged for him at its secretariat here.

Prof. Dr M. Hayat Zafar, President PM&DC, briefed the minister and other senior officials of the Health Ministry including the Stae Minister Hamid Yar Hiraj, Secretary Health Ejaz Rahim and the council members.

The minister asked the council to take a charitable view of the students of these medical colleges but immediately issue notices to these institutions, giving them a ‘cut-off time’ either to improve and get registered or close down.

The minister also said he will take up the issue with the provincial health minister in the next inter-provincial meeting of the health ministers so that a legal action could be taken against these colleges.

The minister was also informed that the PM&DC had got the membership of International Association of Medical Regulatory Authorities (IAMRA) based in USA along with Australia, U.K, Ireland, Canada and other countries.

The briefing was also attended by Dr M. Sultan Farooqui, President, College of Physician & Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP), Lt. Gen Karamat K. Karamat, Surgeon General, Pakistan Army, Prof Dr Jan Mohammad Memon, Vice-Chancellor, Liaquat University of Medical & Health Sciences, Jamshoro, Prof Dr Raza Mohammad Sheikh, Dean, Dental Section, LUMHS, Jamshoro, Prof Dr Fazal Ahmed, Prof of Pathology, Khyber Medical College, Peshawar, and former D.G. Health, Prof. Dr A.J. Khan.