LAHORE: The Pakistan Association of Private Medical and Dental Institutions (PAMI) has demanded that uniform minimum standard of basic and higher qualification in medicine and dentistry should be established in consultation with the stakeholders.

“The need of the hour is to consolidate the law relating to the registration of medical practitioners and dentists,” said PAMI central president Dr Syed Tariq Sohail at a news conference after the maiden general body meeting of the representative body of private medical education institutions at an Egerton Road hotel on Sunday.

He said different models were in vogue in the 144 institutions besides 30 or so universities imparting medical and dental education in the country.

“At present, we have the classical, the modular, project based learning, horizontal, vertical and spiral integration systems. Our institutions are imparting education according to their own style and tradition. The need of the hour is that the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) should formulate uniform minimum standards for medical and dental education which is its principle task. Afterwards, the PMDC should institute a licensing examination based on these minimum standards, before granting full registration to medical and dental graduates. Medical and dental graduates should be granted permission to practice after passing the licensing examination,” said Dr Sohail.

Private institutions should be free to admit students without the interference of the PMDC or any other institution, he said while terming the concept of entrance test a progressive move for the medical and dental education.

PAMI General Secretary Dr Khaqan Waheed Khawaja said the private sector should have representation on the PMDC.

“At present, the PMDC and its executive council has no representation of the private sector medical and dental institutions. We recommend that the PMDC should comprise 30 per cent teachers of both public and private sector institutions, and 40 per cent representatives of the public and the remaining ex-officio members,” said Dr Khawaja.

The PAMI general secretary was of the view that if regulation of infrastructure, facilities and finances of the private institutions was the only concern, the very purpose of the PMDC was defeated. “The PMDC should be more concerned with the outcome of dispensation of education rather than the process by which education is dispensed,” he said.

To a question, Dr Khawaja said PAMI condemned realization of exorbitant fees from the students on any pretext. “We are completely in agreement with the PMDC that donations and underhand transactions must be stopped.

“We sought fixation of Rs900,000 annual fee per student with 7 per cent annual increase. We agreed to fix the annual fee at Rs800,000 though the Punjab government deposed before the Lahore High Court that a sum of Rs2.1 million is being spent on a student per annum in a public sector institution and the amount does not include the capital cost of infrastructure,” he said.

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2017