ISLAMABAD, Sept 4: National Assembly standing committee on health has asked the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) to further toughen its monitoring mechanism to check the mushroom growth of private medical colleges and quality of medical education in public as well as private medical institutions.

Dr Hajra Tariq Aziz presided over the meeting of the committee in Parliament House on Saturday.

Briefing the committee, PMDC Secretary Dr Shohail Khan Hashmi said a strict monitoring and evaluation system had been devised to ensure regulations of the council in imparting medical education through well-established institutions.

However, he added, legislation in the PMDC Ordinance 1962 was imperative to stop the growth of private medical institutions and ensure quality education.

Dr Hajra assured the PMDC of the committee's all-out support in that regard.

In reply to questions by the members, Health Minister Mohammad Nasir Khan said a draft bill to remove loopholes in the system had been submitted to the ministry of law for vetting, which would be presented before the parliament for passage.

He said the ministry of health was trying to ensure quality medical education and was incorporating latest medical research in the curriculum and that better job opportunities were being created for medical practitioners.

The committee recommended to the ministry that monitoring of private hospitals should also be entrusted to the PDMC to extend support to the medical institutions for research-related and professional development activities.

MNAs Dr Doniya Aziz, Dr Junaid Mumtaz Joyia, Dr Noor Jehan Panezai, Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, Yasmeen Rehman, Belum Husnian, Onza Ehsan, Maimoona Hashmi, Khurram Munawer Munj, Shamshad Sattar Bachani, Maulana Khaleel Ahmad, officials of the health ministry and the PMDC also attended the meeting.