LAHORE, July 12: It is no longer a ‘Herculean task’ to obtain recognition from the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) as almost all private medical institutions will be no more ‘unrecognised’ by next month.

A source privy to the development told Dawn on Thursday that the PMDC was not implementing (recognition) criterion strictly and the administration had decided to award the same to all private institutions of the country. The council so far in its previous two meetings in Islamabad had recognised a number of such institutions.

PMDC president Prof Sibtul Hasnain had already hinted that “keeping in view the low doctor-patient ratio in the country the council wants to encourage the private sector.” He had claimed that it “does not want substandard medical institutions and the council will provide a stipulated time to them to improve quality of education and ensure provision of required facilities.” Prof Hasnain was contacted several times but he was not available for comments.

The source said the council had been awarding recognition on “incomplete inspection reports” on the affairs of the private medical institutions, thus violating its own rules. He said some institutions, which did not have qualified teaching staff and were also not attached with a well-equipped hospital, did not find any difficulty in getting the recognition. “Even one such institution in Islamabad which time and again failed to get recognition owing to non-attachment with a modern hospital has also managed to get the council’s node this time,” he added.

He further informed that since “influential people” had been running the private medical institutions thereby it was not easy for the council to deny them recognition. Besides, he said there had also been an influence from the federal health ministry in this regard.

It is pertinent to mention that the council has expedited the process of recognition on the orders of the Supreme Court. The court last year had directed it to complete the process of recognition of private medical colleges by the mid of August 2007.

The Pakistan Medical Association on the other hand alleged the council had been taking dictation from the ministry over the (recognition) issue. It said the health ministry was trying to reduce PMDC’s role to rubber stamp. “The council has not been fulfilling the requirements laid down in its ordinance.”

It also alleged that all stakeholders had not been consulted during the process of deciding the fate of private medical institutions and demanded overhaul of the council to restore its independent status.

PMA Lahore secretary general Dr Azeemuddin Zahid said: “Monetary benefits are involved in the recognition process and private medical institutions have become a mafia.”

The three-member commission constituted by the prime minister last year to look into affairs of the council had also recommended that any institution imparting education in medicine or dentistry “shall not be awarded affiliation unless it fulfills the conditions prescribed in the ordinance.”