ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has declared the accreditation of 10 medical and dental colleges unlawful and stopped them from further admissions.

The council has also decided that already admitted students will be adjusted in other colleges so their studies are not disturbed,

The 10 colleges were inspected and registered during the tenure of the Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC), which the Islamabad High Court (IHC) declared illegal when it decided that the ordinance under which the PMC was established was null and void.

Pakistan Association of Private Medical and Dental Institutions (PAMI) General Secretary Khaqan Waheed Khawaja said on Wednesday that he met with the PMDC president and was assured that the inspection process would be completed within a month.

According to a public notice issued by the council, since all the actions taken and decisions made by the PMC have been declared unlawful, provisional accreditation and registration would also be considered unlawful, especially since there is no provision for such accreditation or registration.

Colleges stopped from admitting new students, already admitted students to be adjusted in accredited institutions

The notice said that 10 colleges have been stopped from admitting new students and students already admitted for the 2019-20 session will be adjusted in colleges that have been accredited and recognised by the PMDC and notified by the federal government.

Two colleges in Punjab - Watim Medical College in Rawalpindi and Azra Naheed Dental College in Lahore — have been declared unlawful, as have Shifa College of Dentistry Shifa Tameer-i-Millat and the Dental Section of the Rawal Institute of Health Sciences in Islamabad.

The Fazaia RuthPfau Medical College and Dow Dental College in Karachi as well as Mohammad Dental College in Mirpurkhas and Khairpur Medical College have been declared unlawful in Sindh.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Abbottabad International Medical College and Swat Medical College have been declared unlawful.

All students already studying in these institutions will be adjusted in other colleges.

The notice, issued by PMDC Registrar retired Brig Hafizuddin Siddiqui, said: “All these colleges are directed to transfer the entire amount received from the students to the receiving colleges as prescribed by the respective admitting universities as soon as possible but not later than one month, so that they could adjust the students at the earliest.”

An official from the Ministry of National Health Services said that it takes a long time to hold inspections, so when the accreditation of a college is cancelled it is decided to move students to other institutions.

“It can take months to complete the inspection and the completion of an inspection cannot guarantee that the college will be allowed to admit students, as colleges sometimes fail to meet requirements and standards during inspections,” he saod.

Mr Khawaja from PAMI said that he met with PMDC President retired Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan on Wednesday.

“The president assured that the process of inspection will be completed in a month. We have no enmity with the council, earlier the PMC had inspected our colleges and now the PMDC can also do the same as we meet all the requirements,” he said.

Mr Khawaja said he hoped the issue would be resolved amicably and no one, including students, teachers and college administrations, would suffer.

Published in Dawn, May 21st, 2020