KARACHI: The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has called for the restoration of status of the Pakistan Medical Dental Council (PMDC) as an “autonomous, independent, and democratic institution, free from external influence”.

A resolution to this effect was passed at a recent meeting of the association’s central council held at the PMA House. The meeting, chaired by Dr Izhar Ahmed Chaudhry, saw discussion on a range of issues affecting the medical community and the healthcare system.

During the meeting, a detailed report prepared by a PMA committee on the PMDC was presented by Prof Shahid Shamim, sparking a thorough debate on the institution’s role and functions. The members raised serious concern over the deteriorating standards of medical education, calling for urgent reforms.

The report makes a long list of recommendations, including regulation of medical colleges, standardising a PMDC-approved national curriculum, introducing a national standardised exam for licence to practice, closing substandard medical colleges, lacking infrastructure, clinical facilities or faculty, imposing a moratorium on new colleges until the existing ones the benchmark, increasing government funding for infrastructure in colleges and regulating their fees to “prevent exploitation”.

The report also seeks formalising PMA’s permanent involvement in PMDC’s decisions (nominees, inspections, regulations). It also seeks legal clarity on PMDC’s authority, tenure and mandate under parliamentary oversight.

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2025