ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has advised the foreign-graduate doctors seeking licence to practice to file complaint against the council’s employees asking for monetary benefit in return for helping them pass the National Examination Board (NEB) test.

The former employees of the PMDC have been facing a murder case as they allegedly poisoned to death a foreign-graduate when he refused to meet their demand.

A citizen lodged a complaint with Rawalpindi police alleging that his son, Zubair Khan, studied medicine in China, was trying to pass the PMDC test to qualify for a licence to practice in Pakistan.

The complainant said when his son appeared in the exam and failed to qualify, four doctors approached him and offered to help him clear the exam and demanded Rs1.8 million, which was paid. Later they demanded more money and in the end doctors poisoned his son on February 18. A court ordered registration of a murder case against the six PMDC officials.

The PMDC registrar, retired Brig Dr Hafizuddin Ahmed Siddiqui, told Dawn that the management committee had waived Continuing Medical Education (CME), which was required for the renewal of registration of the doctors, and house job exit exam.

“However, foreign-graduate will have to appear in National Examination Board (NEB) examination to become qualified practitioner in Pakistan,” he said, adding steps will be taken to ensure the transparency and fairness of the exam. The NEB examination is conducted under the supervision of University of Health Sciences Lahore and registrar, PMDC.

Published in Dawn, October 11th, 2015

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