LAHORE, Sept 4: The University of Health Sciences (UHS) has published announcements in newspapers and written letters to the affiliated colleges that the PMDC and the federal health ministry have notified inclusion of its name and qualifications in the relevant schedules of PMDC Ordinance 1962, long before completion of the required procedure.

The UHS on Thursday published advertisements along with the schedule of all MBBS and BDS examinations in newspapers and wrote letters to the eight affiliated colleges, stating: “The PMDC and the ministry of health have notified inclusion of the name and qualifications of the UHS, Lahore, in relevant schedules of the PMDC Ordinance for award of the qualifications being awarded by the Punjab University, Bahauddin Zakria University and Islamia University.”

The letters to the affiliated colleges also stated: “This notification by the Government of Pakistan is in compliance with the interim orders of the Supreme Court and fulfils the conditions laid down.”

It has also asked the colleges’ principals to inform the students to appear in the forthcoming MBBS/BDS examinations according to the schedule notified by the UHS.

It may, however, be mentioned that PMDC secretary Dr Sohail Karim Hashmi had sent a letter to the Ministry of Health on Aug 27 to inform it that the PMDC in its 100th session had discussed in detail the issue of inclusion of the name of UHS and qualifications awarded by it in PMDC schedules.

The letter said the council had recommended that the name of UHS and the qualifications to be awarded by it might be included by the ministry in Schedules I, III and V of the PMDC Ordinance for award of the qualifications that were being awarded by the Punjab University, Bahauddin Zakria University and Islamia University.

Consequently, the Ministry of Health responded to the PMDC on Sept 3, saying that the UHS would be deemed included in Schedules I, III and V, notified under Sections 11, 16 and 18 of the PMDC Ordinance 1962, along with other universities mentioned in the schedules.

It also said that the provisions about medical institutions affiliated with the universities, in relevant regulations of the council for recognition of medical and dental qualifications under the PMDC Ordinance 1962, shall remain effective.

A health ministry official told reporters on Thursday that the PMDC had forwarded its recommendations to the health ministry as per the required procedure. The official said: “The legal procedure to recognise UHS qualifications had been started, but it would take time to be completed and formally notified in the official Gazette.”

Similarly, the official said: “The inclusion of name and qualifications of the UHS in Schedules I, III and V of the PMDC Ordinance would be made after completing the procedure.” He, however, said that it was difficult to say how much time would be consumed in completing the procedure.

When contacted, PMDC president Prof Dr Hayat Zafar, who is also a member of the UHS board of governors, said that the issue of inclusion of the name and qualifications of UHS in Schedules I, III and V of PMDC Ordinance 1962 was not in his knowledge. He said that he would check it out with the PMDC secretary.

Sections 11, 16 and 18 of the PMDC Ordinance are related to ‘recognition of medical qualification granted by medical institutions in Pakistan’, ‘additional medical qualifications’ and ‘recognition of dental qualifications granted by dental institutions in or outside Pakistan’, respectively.

The second clause of each section says that any medical institution in Pakistan which grants medical qualifications not included in the first, third and fifth schedules may apply to the central government to have such qualifications recognised. The central government, after consulting the Council, may, by notification in the official Gazette, amend the first, third and fifth schedules so as to include such qualifications therein.

It may be recalled here that the Supreme Court stated in its interim order on Aug 18: “According to the provisions of the PMDC Ordinance 1962 to which reference was made by the learned counsel for the petitioners, the PMDC is entitled and empowered to satisfy itself by holding a detailed inspection of examinations to be held by a medical institution qua the question of recognition of medical qualification, therefore, prime facie, any arrangement between the Punjab University and the UHS to the effect that the latter would hold the examination but the degree shall be issued by the former, would create confusion which prima facie is not binding on the PMDC. If, ultimately, on the inspection of the examination conducted by the UHS, the PMDC decides not to approve the same for recognition of the medical qualification based on it, the future of students would be adversely affected.

“The examination of the students of medical institutions already affiliated with the Punjab University shall continue to be held by the Punjab University and degrees issued by it till the disposal of the main petition or issuance of notification by PMDC of recognition of medical qualifications of UHS, whichever is earlier.”

The officials concerned said the UHS had misleadingly issued the advertisements and wrote letters to the colleges, posing that it was now authorized to hold all MBBS and BDS examinations.