ISLAMABAD: While demanding the list of provisionally registered medical colleges, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) blamed the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) for the delay in an inquiry against seven medical colleges.

The inquiry, ordered by the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS), could not be completed even after three years. A letter signed by FIA Deputy Director Anti-Corruption Circle Mohammad Afzal Khan Niazi to the PMDC registrar stated that the agency repeatedly sought the clarifications and provision of documents but to no avail.

The FIA also asked if fresh inspections of colleges had been held besides asking for relevant documents. The investigation questioned if fresh inspections had not been conducted, then how the colleges had been functioning till date without qualifying the inspection.

The FIA also asked the PMDC to provide certified copies if any high court or the Supreme Court had allowed the colleges to function.

Letter to council says agency has repeatedly sought clarifications and provision of documents for three years

“The lethargic attitude of the PMDC is halting the finalisation of the subject inquiry, so you are once again intimated to share [the] aforementioned information. Furthermore, you are also requested to share executive committee’s minutes of (the) meeting dated 25-02-25 pertaining to provisionally registered medical colleges. The whole information shall be shared with the office of the undersigned through a well-versed focal person,” the letter stated.

While PMDC officials were reluctant to comment on the development, an official of the health ministry said that in 2020 the defunct Pakistan Medical Council (PMC) had approved the provisional recognition of 15 medical and dental colleges as it was decided to allow them to enroll students for one year. It decided to hold inspections the next year, which did not materialise.

“In the second year, inspections could not be made, but again, these colleges were allowed to enroll students. During the third year [2022], once again the relevant department took up the issue of inspection, but it was ignored.

In 2023, Acting Registrar Azhar Ali Shah, after getting the charge of the post, wrote letters to all 15 colleges to stop the intake (of students),“ the official said.

“The matter was referred to the executive council of the PMDC by its president, and the executive council decided to hold inspections of seven colleges out of 15, while the issue of the remaining eight colleges was referred to the ministry,” the official added.

“The ministry referred the inquiry to the FIA, but it is not completed. On the other hand, the colleges have been allowed to continue admissions. It is difficult to take any action as the college owners have political connections,” the official claimed.

“Now that we have got a new health minister, Mustafa Kamal, we will inform him about the issue, and he will look into it,” he concluded.

Published in Dawn, March 10th, 2025