May 23, 2005	Monday	Rabi-us-Sani 14, 1426

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RAWALPINDI, May 22: The crisis over registration of private medical institutions graduates and the affairs of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council deepens as the Senate standing committee on health and the council are both sticking to their guns. The Senate standing committee, in its meeting presided over by Senator Roshan Khursheed Bharucha here on Saturday, discussed the registration issue of 30 graduate doctors and asked the PMDC to submit answer to the committee, health secretary Anwar Mahmood told Dawn.

The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC)’s general council at its separate meeting refused to oblige the Senate standing committee on the issue.

The meeting was of the unanimous view that registering graduates of the unrecognized medical colleges that were not affiliated with any degree awarding university under the Senate committee pressure would not only be an unlawful act, but would open flood gates for similar some 800 other cases, thereby starting a cavalcade of unlawful activities in PMDC.

The council members contended that the Senate committee could summon anybody at anytime to appear before it, but has no authority to order registration of doctors.

Some members were of the view that in case the senators wish to dissolve or denigrate PMDC — so be it, but the council would not be party to this.

The meeting also said only those students, who attended Baqai University for at least three years should be considered for registration after passing the national examination conducted by the PMDC only as one time exception.

All the members agreed that if the 30 students were given a backdoor entry, then this would set a precedence for similar 800 other students resulting in a never ending queue of substandard doctors.

Speaking at the meeting, Prof Mehmood opined that both ministry of health and PMDC were natural allies and should work in uniformity with the sole objective of resolving the issues and avoiding unnecessary controversies.

Regarding the issue of sending former PMDC secretary on forced leave, the members said the PMDC president had no power to do this without the consensus of the Council.

The president informed the council members that he was under immense pressure and he had taken the executive council into confidence.

In a separate meeting late in the night a sub-committee of the Senate standing committee on health asked the representatives of Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) to suggest measures to improve the working of the council.

The sub-committee, comprising senators Dr Abdullah Riar as convenor, Dr Azizullah Satakzai, Dr Kauser Firdaus and Dr Nighat Agha, will submit its proposals to the standing committee later.

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