PESHAWAR: The doctors have rejected National Licencing Examination and demanded that the federal government improve the quality of education instead of conducing additional examinations for qualified medical professionals.

Speaking at a joint press conference at Peshawar Press Club on Wednesday, the provincial office-bearers of Grand Medicos Alliance (GDA) and Young Doctors Association said that doctors would launch a protest movement if government failed to accept their demands.

Dr Rizwan Kundi of YDA and Dr Mohammad Nayab of GDA said that the licencing examination in the presence of University of Health Sciences and Khyber Medical University was a question mark on the standard of the educational institutions in the country.

The licencing exam, they said, was not acceptable to the doctors as it would create hurdles to their progress. They said that the cabinet of Pakistan Medical Commission should be elected through proper election instead of selection. They demanded early resignation of Ali Raza, vice-president of Pakistan Medical Commission, to resolve the issues.

Dr Rizwan said that federal government should take notice of the doctors’ reservations and cancel the national licencing exam. He also said that government should launch crackdown on the quacks to save lives of people.

He said that government should adopt policies in consultation with the doctors to avoid complicating issues.

He added that such problems might lead to wastage of the precious time of the medical professionals.

“We have already suffered badly due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In case of fresh protest movement, the doctors and patients would suffer alike,” said Dr Rizwan.

Published in Dawn, June 24th, 2021