ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has warned degree awarding institutions against offering unrecognised postgraduate programmes.

Moreover, the council has advised students as well that before going for admission they should ascertain whether or not the courses the institution is offering are recognised.

An official of the PMDC, who is not authorised to speak on record, said recently a degree awarding institution had advertised postgraduate courses in health management and public health, but after investigations it turned out that the institution offering the courses was not a bona fide institution.

“A student desiring to seek admission came to the council and asked whether the institution was authorised to award degree because he could not find it on the website of the council. We checked it and were shocked to know that the college, which had advertised the courses, had nothing to do with medical and health education,” he said.

“Even curriculum for health management and public health courses has not been outlined let alone recognising the programmes,” he said.

“Moreover, a number of medical and dental colleges have been offering postgraduate courses despite the fact that they have not been mandated to offer them,” he said.

“A number of students have been studying in those colleges which have not been recognised by the council. Some colleges have been recognised but they have not obtained no-objection certificates (NOCs) for some courses which they offer,” he said.

“After a few years, when courses will be completed, it will become a mega scandal because degrees will not be recognised by the PMDC and students will be on roads protesting against the council,” he said.

“It is in the interest of the students to confirm whether colleges, which offer courses or where they are going to get admission, are recognised or not. All the information regarding the institutions and the courses they offer is available on the website of the council,” he said.

“Students should check it before getting admission because the council will not be responsible for the degrees which they (students) get from illegal institutions,” he said.

Replying to a question, the official said that letters had been sent to all medical and dental degree awarding institutions advising them not to advertise unrecognized programmes.

The PMDC president, Dr Shabir Lehri, while talking to Dawn said that students, before getting admission in a postgraduate course, should confirm that the institutions and courses were recognized because the council would not accept their degrees in unrecognised programme or unrecognised institution.

“Advertising any unrecognised course is a clear violation of law and the head of the institution can face imprisonment from one year to five years and fine which can be from Rs5 million to Rs10 million,” he said.

“Those institutions who will offer the unrecognised courses can be closed and even their recognised courses can be banned because they use them as a cover and offer unrecognised courses,” he said.

Published in Dawn, March 12th, 2016