KARACHI: The Sindh government which is now bent upon damaging the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP) has been fully involved in the destruction of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC).

The provincial government managed to get away with it mostly because of the silence of the federal government which could not afford to lose the support of a major political party at this juncture, said leaders of the Pakistan Medical Association at a press conference at the PMA House on Monday.

“We blame the Sindh government for the sorry state of affairs at the PMDC because the people who are behind its destruction have active government support.

“And, as if it was not enough, the same group is now bent upon destroying another institution, the CPSP, an autonomous institution that took 60 years to earn its credibility and get mature,” said Sindh PMA president Dr Idrees Adhi.

The medical fraternity, he said, would move the court as a last resort if the government went ahead with its unconstitutional plan, as reported in a section of the press, of setting up a provincial college parallel to the CPSP.

Established in mid-1962, the CPSP, he said, was made an autonomous body without putting any financial burden on the country’s exchequer. It was the only postgraduate medical institution in the country that had established a system of effective and consistent upgrade of medical education and training. “That’s why, the degrees awarded by this prestigious institution are recognised worldwide,” he said.

He said that regulatory bodies, which were largely under federal control the world over, could have provincial chapters as well, as was the case in some countries but their job was to facilitate and not to encroach upon the authority and functions of the federal body.

“Earlier, the same group in the PPP had amended the PMDC law and made it all-powerful in 2012, which was a good move indeed but official powers were misused massively and it led to huge corruption.

“Among other cases, it is on record that 19 medical colleges were recognised in a day during that period,” he told journalists, adding that later the present government promulgated the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (Amendment) Ordinance, 2014 to hold elections and reconstitute the PMDC.

According to Dr Adhi, the PMDC issue was taken up by the court and the other party obtained a stay. In this case, the past PMDC members had no legal authority to call meetings and issue directives to medical colleges. But they, he said, had been doing it and the federal government was not taking notice as it should. A case of contempt of court against the past PMDC members was also pending trial in the court, he said.

“If the government really cared for public health and had any interest in serving the poor, it should implement the Health Commission Act without further delay which was aimed at improving healthcare delivery system,” he said.

Senior physician and PMA member Dr Tipu Sultan said that vested interests within the PPP were tainting the party image by influencing the leadership to take such damaging and unpopular decisions.

“It’s not just the medical fraternity that will be affected when bodies to regulate medical education and training are damaged but rather the entire society. Hence, the civil society and the media have an obligation to raise their voice against such dangerous developments,” he added.

Dr Mirza Ali Azhar, general secretary of the PMA central, said the association believed the government should strengthen public sector medical institutions and bring revolutionary changes in medical education and training so that students became able to compete with modern challenges.

Published in Dawn, October 21st, 2014