ISLAMABAD: An Intelligence Bureau (IB) report claims that an “organised system of corruption” has been prevalent in the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), specifically highlighting the “fraudulent” establishment and recognition of Bahawalpur Medical College (BMC), according to a document available with Dawn.

However, the current PMDC management has distanced itself from the allegations, asserting that any wrongdoing occurred in the past and that new checks and balances have now been introduced.

“It is learnt that there is an organised system of corruption prevalent in PMDC primarily due to excessive discretionary powers and a lack of transparency,” the report stated. “A perception persists that heavy bribe is a norm for recognition of private medical and dental colleges as well as their affiliated teaching hospitals and for their inspections.”

The report further alleged, “Repor­tedly, private medical colleges pay approximately Rs10 million per seat for the allocation of additional student seats. Another avenue for corruption is the recognition of medical journals.”

The document claimed a probe revealed the “incapacity and inefficiency” of the now-defunct Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) during Bahawalpur Medical College’s (BMC) recognition process and its subsequent withdrawal.

“The recognition of BMC, followed by its abrupt withdrawal, highlights severe lapses in PMC’s regulatory framework. BMC was initially granted recognition based on incomplete documentation and without the mandatory inspection, reportedly in exchange for a bribe,” the report stated.

According to the IB, “Usually, eight-member inspection teams are formed to inspect medical colleges. However, in the case of BMC, only a two-member team was constituted, which actually did not visit the college premises and only signed the pre-drafted inspection report, which led to BMC’s recognition without meeting the required criteria.”

The report added, “Pertinent to mention that multiple investors were initially involved in establishing BMC. However, some of them left after developing differences due to delays in its recognition and operation. Reportedly, one of them filed a complaint against recognition of BMC, which led to the suspension/withdrawal of recognition by PMC.”

“In this regard, overall management of a defunct PMC was responsible for mishandling the issue,” the report alleged. The BMC is no longer functional, as its registration was withdrawn by the federal government last year, and its students were distributed among other medical colleges.

Published in Dawn, May 15th, 2025