KARACHI, Nov 25: A letter of the federal health ministry circulated among members of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) is stirring confusion among "representatives of the teaching staff"
of various medical and dental institutions sent to the council.
According to the letter issued by a senior official of the federal health directorate, medical and dental institutions have been sending for years "unlawful" representatives from their teaching staff to the PMDC.
It is maintained in the letter dated November 6 that the in-vogue system of nomination of professors of medical and dental institutions to the council was not in line with the provisions of the PMDC Ordinance 1962 and, therefore, it needed to be done away with immediately.
The law simply stipulates that the person to serve on the governing body, i.e. council, of the PMDC has to be "elected" by the "teaching staff" from amongst professors on its staff, and there was no room for any substitution of this process as required under the Section 3 (1) (f) of the ordinance, said the health ministry's letter, sent to the PMDC president and the medical and dental institutions concerned.
It was learnt that the ministry through another letter, dated April 21, had asked medical education institutions to forward nominations to the council in accordance with the relevant provisions of the PMDC Ordinance. But, it did not get a positive feedback.
"Being disappointed with the non-compliance of law, the Honourable Minister for Health issued instructions that the ministry should ensure strict compliance of law," said the letter in question.
It was claimed in the letter that after reviewing the council's working, the ministry of health had now decided in principle to introduce some reforms of structure and functioning of the council for a "drastic improvement in the standard of undergraduate and postgraduate medical education in the country".
The ministry's letter held that the PMDC had not been able to conduct elections for members truly in line with the ordinance's provisions. Due to the failure, the principals of medical institutions had generally been getting themselves nominated from their respective academic councils without holding elections, it was further claimed.
The ministry, among other measures as described in the letter for the PMDC, wanted that the council, at present having about 55 members under various categories, should not notify such nominations to the PMDC, which were not in accordance with the law. While the nominating institution may be advised to submit their nomination after holding elections as per the PMDC's prescribe election procedure.
Following the remarks of the health ministry, the members were now unclear about the legality of their position, and doubted whether the meeting of the PMDC convened on December 4 and 5 would be treated as a lawful development or not.
When contacted at his Islamabad office, the PMDC secretary, Dr M Sohail Karim Hashmi, said that the letter in question from a deputy director general of health of the federal government had wrongly been issued and was uncalled for, saying the PMDC had already been observing rules and regulations related to conduct of elections of members under all categories.
He claimed that the letter in question had not been written with any good intention, but to undermine the years old and reputed PMDC. We have already replied to and denied the contents of a similar letter written on April 21 on behalf of the ministry, he added, saying that the latest letter had no worth since it had not been issued with any approval of the director general of health.
To another question, he said that persons representing the teaching staff in the PMDC had been elected as per the laid down process and through elections, and he might present documents and minutes of proceedings received from the institutions from time to time.
He said that he could not lodge any clarification of the November 6 letter to the health ministry or inform the council members on the subject officially because the president of the PMDC, who at present was sick, had been unable to pass on the letter to his office.
He said that the 103rd session of the PMDC would be held as per schedule at Islamabad, and it was likely that the "offensive letter" of the health ministry would also be taken up then.
