ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) has derailed the Supreme Court’s efforts to streamline private medical and dental colleges, a three-member SC bench headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed observed on Monday.

The court added that it seemed the PMC “has been established to provide benefit to private medical and dental colleges”.

Hearing a case regarding the dissolved Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), Justice Ijazul Ahsan said that the court’s aim was to improve the quality of medical education in Pakistan and stop medical colleges from making exorbitant profits.

A lawyer representing the PMC said the PMDC was an autonomous department and the PMC has four ancillary departments, because of which its power has been divided.

Sindh, Balochistan high courts told not to announce verdicts in PMDC cases until IHC announces its verdict

The court was also informed that the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has reserved its decision in a case regarding the termination of service of PMDC employees.

The court ordered the Sindh and Balochistan high courts not to announce their verdicts in related cases before the IHC issues its decision. The court also observed that the SC can be contacted again after the IHC’s decision is announced.

The PMDC was dissolved by an ordinance promulgated on Oct 19, 2019, which paved the way for the establishment of the PMC. On Oct 20, the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) sealed the PMDC building and announced that the services of its 220 employees had been terminated.

The PMC consists of three components: the Medical and Dental Council, the National Medical and Dental Academic Board and the National Medical Authority which will act as its secretariat.

On Oct 28, the PMC elected Dr Arshad Taqi president and advocate Ali Raza vice president.

Former PMDC employees have been seeking reinstatement and have held a number of protests outside the PMC and the National Press Club in this regard.

A former employee who asked not to be named told Dawn that under section 49 of the ordinance, 220 employees who had been working for up to 35 years were dismissed from service.

He also said that under section 4, the provinces were deprived of representation in the commission.

He said: “Section 20 will allow private medical colleges to determine their fees, which will cause students and their families to suffer. Under section 21, the National Licensing Examination has been announced due to which the degrees of 168 colleges will become meaningless as they will have to clear a new exam after the completion of MBBS.”

Published in Dawn, February 4th, 2020