ISLAMABAD, May 17: A two-day session of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) opens here on Saturday with the thorny issue of proliferation of unrecognised medical colleges topping its heavy agenda.

An informed source told Dawn that the 106th session of the 52-member council is being held after winning a long legal battle at the Supreme Court against owners of private medical colleges. The meeting was earlier scheduled for December 2005.

As many as 50 items will be on council’s agenda when it meets at 9am on Saturday.

Inspection reports of institutions imparting medical education in both private and public sectors would be considered by the council while considering giving recognition to different institutions.

PMDC’s 52-member council comprises representatives from all the four provincial governments, federal government, the National Assembly, Supreme Court, private and public sector universities, medical and dental colleges and postgraduate institutions, and registered medical and dental practitioners.

In the public sector, the institutions, whose inspection report will be considered are Quaid-i-Azam Medical College, Bahawalpur; Nishtar Medical College, Multan; Fatima Jinnah Medical College for Women, Lahore; Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi; Sindh Medical College, Karachi; Saidu Sharif Medical College, Swat; Army Medical College, Rawalpindi; Gomal Medical College, DI Khan.

Likewise, the private sector institutions are Lahore College of Medical and Dentistry; Lahore University of Medicines and Dentistry; Liaquat College of Medicine and Dentistry, Karachi; Islamic International College, Rawalpindi; Mohammad Medical College, Mirpurkhas; Foundation University and Medical College, Rawalpindi; Agha Khan Medical University, Karachi; Altamish Institute of Health Sciences, Karachi; Ziauddin Medical College, Karachi; Islamabad Medical College and Dentistry; Peshawar Medical College; Shifa College of Medicine, Islamabad; Jinnah Medical College, Peshawar; and Independent Medical College, Faisalabad.

Issues regarding Xianjiang Medical College, Urumqui, China, and Gulf Medical College, Ajman, UAE, will also be discussed.

Age regarding admission of students to the medical colleges, years of study and litigations against PMDC pending with the Supreme Court and different high courts will also be discussed.

One of the most important issues to be discussed in the session is the practice of joining private medical colleges by faculty members of the government institutions on long leave.

Earlier session to be held in December had to be postponed when the Sindh High Court (SHC) stayed the functions of the council.