ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday nominated nine members of the Medical and Dental Council (MDC), which has been established after dissolution of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), a regulatory body of health practitioners, medical and dental colleges and teaching hospitals.

The nomination of members has been made in exercise of powers conferred on the prime minister under section 4(1) of the Pakistan Medical Commission Ordinance 2019.

Last week, President Dr Arif Alvi dissolved PMDC through an ordinance, paving the way for establishment of a new organisation called Pakistan Medial Commission (PMC).

First meeting of Pakistan Medial Commission to be held on Monday

PMC is a body corporate consisting of three components i.e. The Medical and Dental Council, The National Medical and Dental Academic Board and The National Medical Authority, which will act as a secretariat of the commission.

According to the notification, available with Dawn, three members of the MDC appointed from civil society include Roshaneh Zafar, who belongs to Kashf Foundation, Mohammad Ali Raza, a lawyer, and Tariq Ahmad Khan, who is partner in Baker Tilly, Islamabad. Another three members, who are from the licenced medical practitioners, are Dr Rumina Hassan from Aga Khan University, Dr Asif Loya from Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Dr Arshad Taqi from Hameed Latif Hospital, Lahore.

According to the ordinance, one member has to be a licenced dentist so Dr Anees Rehman has also been nominated as member. Surgeon General of Pakistan Army and President of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Pakistan are also nominated as members.

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of National Health Services on Thursday, the first meeting of the PMC would be held on Monday (Oct 28).

“Next week advertisements will be published to appoint employees of the council (MDC). The former employees would also be given a chance to apply for the vacant posts,” said Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza.

Meanwhile, employees of the dissolved PMDC continued their sit-in protest outside the council building on Thursday.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader Syed Zafar Ali Shah reached there to show solidarity with the sacked employees. He said that he was sure that the prime minister was not taken into confidence about the ordinance because otherwise he (premier) would not have allowed such thing.

“Doctors are also protesting in Peshawar due to which the government has been earning a bad name. Patients are not getting medicines. I will inform the premier about the situation. Moreover, the opposition parties are also trying to do politics on the issue. I can only say that such ordinances cannot last for even five minutes in the court,” Mr Shah said.

Pakistan Islamic Medical Association has also rejected the recently-announced PMC ordinance.

In a statement issued on Thursday, PIMA president Prof Mohammad Afzal Mian said that it was an undemocratic decision that would have negative consequences not only for the doctors, but also the country.

“Seven out of nine members of the council are nominated by one person, i.e. the prime minister, as opposed to the previous democratic elections,” he said.

Moreover, a Senate panel on Thursday rejected the PMDC Ordinance and demanded of the government to immediately withdraw it.

Published in Dawn, October 25th, 2019