LAHORE: The health department on Wednesday sent a summary to the chief minister declaring the Pakistan Medical & Dental Council’s (PMDC) new quota policy of admissions to medical colleges unconstitutional and violation of a Supreme Court verdict.

Earlier, the department had dispatched a strong-worded letter regarding the matter to the CM for approval. It had addressed it to the federal government stating the PMDC scheme was “impractical”, a senior official of the health department told Dawn quoting the letter.

The PMDC through a letter to all health secretariats on Sept 18 had introduced a new admission policy based on gender parity. It had taken this decision when the admission percentage of girls and boys to public medical institutions across the country reached 70 and 30, respectively.

It had directed the provinces to follow the new quota restricting the number of seats for girls and boys to 50pc each in both public and private medical institutions. The scheme was introduced for the 2014-15 admissions putting the provincial governments in trouble as a majority of them had almost finalised admissions.

The official said the health department held a series of meetings and discussed the issue with heads of medical institutions, experts and legal officials. It then declared the council decision impractical.

Health authorities also decided to convey their decision to the federal government with strong references that had barred provinces from imposing the quota system.

“We have categorically mentioned in a letter (sent to the CM) addressed to the federal government that the new policy is in violation of a SC judgement, which had ordered merit-based admissions,” the official claimed.

He said the PMDC had pleaded the new policy was introduced keeping in view the number of girls increasing in medical education and their decreasing sustainability in the field, thus leading to a country-wide chronic shortage of doctors

“Though the PMDC had raised the issue, but it will have to move the Supreme Court to challenge the verdict of merit-based admissions,” the official quoted the letter as stating.

He said the health department in its summary had conveyed to the CM the admissions against public and private medical colleges had been almost finalised. The summary had also apprised the CM that implementation upon the PMDC’s decision from the ongoing session would lead to administrative and legal complications.

Published in Dawn, October 30th, 2014