ISLAMABAD: After intervention of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Thursday arrested a former registrar of Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) on the charge of issuing fake certificates.

The FIA is also trying to arrest the head and a doctor of a private hospital in Islamabad.

On October 26, the apex court took suo motu notice of a complaint lodged by a citizen that a doctor of the private hospital prescribed tranquilisers and psychiatric drugs for him even though he was not qualified in the field. The medicines he prescribed were also not registered.

In his complaint, Nadeem Akhtar alleged that in 2012 he used to suffer dizziness and approached the doctor who prescribed him unregistered drugs which were only available at the pharmacy of the private hospital. After using the drugs for almost eight months, he suffered from epilepsy, he alleged. Mr Akhtar said when he discussed the matter with the doctor the latter increased the potency of the medicine.

However, the problem deteriorated forcing the patient to contact another doctor of the same hospital. After a few tests, this doctor told him that the part of his brain which controlled the balance of the body had shrunk due to the use of heavy doses of tranquilisers and psychiatric drugs.

In 2012, Mr Akthar filed an application against the doctor with the PMDC but the council just issued warning to the doctor and allowed him to continue working.

In 2015, an acting management committee of the PMDC, headed by retired Maj-Gen Azhar Kiyani, was set up after which the patient again filed an application against the doctor. During the inquiry, it transpired that the doctor was just an MBBS but had written MD (USA), FACP (USA), FACG (USA), FACTM (USA), professor of gastroenterology and hepatology and a number of other titles with his name on his letterhead.

The interim committee suggested taking action against the doctor along with PMDC officials who were allegedly involved in the verification of the fake foreign degrees of the doctor. However, as the current management of the PMDC did not take further action, the complainant approached the apex court.

An official of the FIA said after arresting the former registrar of the PMDC, Ahmed Nadeem Akbar, when the team reached the hospital to take the head of the hospital and the doctor into custody, they had fled.

“On Friday, we will request the court for a 14-day physical remand of the suspect because we fear that he might have issued fake certificates to hundreds of doctors in the country. More officials of the council can also be involved in the issuance of fake certificates,” he said.

The complainant told Dawn said he had been trying to get justice for almost four years.

“I believe that now it will be revealed how many other doctors have been practicing with fake degrees just because of some officials in the PMDC,” he said.

Faisal Mumtaz, a high court lawyer, told Dawn that he had filed a petition with the Islamabad High Court (IHC) against the same doctor. He said his uncle Sikandar Mehmood, 52, a Hepatitis B patient, remained under treatment of the doctor and died in 2012. PMDC President Dr Shabir Lehri told Dawn that though the apex court had summoned the commission over the issue he had also formed a committee to investigate the matter.

“I am aware of the arrest of the former registrar but the current management has nothing to do with it. We will cooperate with the FIA if it gets information about the involvement of any other official in any illegal activity,” he said.

It may be noted that the PMDC has remained in the limelight because of a number or scandals and for registering medical colleges which lacked facilities.

Published in Dawn, December 2nd, 2016