ISLAMABAD: In a major development, over 30 employees of the defunct Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) have been reinstated.

The Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) on Thursday directed them to join the commission as regular employees just as they were before termination.

During the tenure of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government, PMDC was dissolved and PMC was established. The permanent employees were initially made officers on special duty (OSDs) and then they have been terminated under a golden handshake scheme in 2021. Even pensions of over a couple of dozen retired employees and their families were stopped.

However, the current government had announced to restore the PMDC through legislation and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif withdrew the names of seven members of the PMC and then new members were nominated through a search committee.

MDCAT registration will begin from Sept 10 till Sept 25

PMC has nine members seven are nominated by the Prime Minister and two members i.e. Surgeon General of the Armed Forces and Secretary Ministry of Health are ex-officio members.

Moreover, on the directions of Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel, a committee comprising Jawad Amin Khan (chairman) and Shabbir Kasbati was constituted by the council which considered the case and after detailed deliberation, approved the reinstatement of the employees who were given compulsory golden hand shake.

Mr Patel emphasised that as per policy of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), employees had a right to equal treatment with respect to employment without discrimination.

The minister went an extra mile in order to reinstate the forcibly dismissed employees.

The employees have thanked the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel and newly appointed management of the PMC for reinstating them. Meanwhile, according to a statement of the PMC it had been decided that at least 60pc marks will be required in the HSSC to take admission in the medical and dental colleges.

The registration of Medical and Dental Colleges Admission Tests (MDCAT) will start from Sept 10 and will continue till Sept 25. Earlier, on Wednesday Minister of National Health Services Abdul Qadir Patel held a press conference in which he announced that MDCAT has been postponed till further orders and will be held after consultation with the provinces.

He had said that after withdrawal of names of PMC members a search committee was established which received around 100 applications for the members of the PMC.

“Out of which names of most capable candidates were sent to the premier and seven members have been nominated by Prime Minister.

“Members are Mr Jawad Amin Khan, Ch Sultan Mansoor, Mr M Shahhir Kasbati, Prof Dr Noshad Ahmed Sheikh, Prof Dr Naqibullah Achakzai, Dr M Zubair Khan and Dr Khurshid Ahmad Nasim,” he had said.

Published in Dawn, September 9th, 2022