ISLAMABAD: More than 70 MS (Master of Surgery), MD (Doctor of Medicine) and MDS (Master of Dental Surgery) doctors have approached key offices, including the Prime Minister of Pakistan, urging the constitution of a high-powered committee to investigate serious concerns regarding the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC).

They have alleged that the council’s licensing and accreditation procedures demonstrate “systematic bias” against university-based postgraduate medical programmes, while providing preferential treatment to certain other institutions.

The application, endorsed by the Association of University Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (AUPSP), has also been sent to the Punjab chief minister, the federal health minister, Higher Education Commission (HEC) and copied to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the Pakistan Medical Commission Oversight Committee.

AUPSP is a registered platform representing doctors holding university degrees and serves as a custodian for candidates worldwide who possess MD, MS, MDS, PhD, MPhil and clinical diploma qualifications from Pakistan.

Over 70 postgraduate doctors allege discrimination against university-based programmes; PMDC rejects claims

The complainants claimed that hundreds of medical professionals across the country who completed MS, MD and MDS degrees from HEC-chartered universities were facing discrimination in licensing despite having equivalent or superior training credentials.

They alleged that the PMDC had established differential licensing pathways that systematically favour graduates of the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP), while denying equivalent recognition to university postgraduate degree holders, despite both groups training at the same teaching hospitals and having comparable international recognition.

The complainants further alleged that current and former CPSP office-bearers were holding positions within PMDC, HEC and as vice chancellors, and demanded mapping of overlapping appointments, decision-making authority and timelines of policy changes.

They also demanded that PMDC should not apply different inspection and accreditation standards to different programmes, calling for an audit of all accreditation sites, inspection reports and licensing decisions over the past five years across all training pathways.

Bone of contention

AUPSP General Secretary Dr Asad Noor, while talking to Dawn, said the Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC), which became defunct in 2022, had inspected 36 hospitals and declared them eligible for postgraduate education, leaving it to the institutions to decide whether to start MS programmes or Fellowship of the College of Physicians and Surgeons (FCPS).

“Some hospitals started FCPS, while others initiated MS, MD or MDS programmes. After PMDC came into existence in 2023, it announced that instead of hospitals, programmes would be inspected, which was acceptable. However, when the issue of existing trainees arose, PMDC granted amnesty to FCPS trainees but refused to extend the same to those enrolled in MS, MD or MDS programmes,” he said.

“It is strange that hospitals and MS, MD or MDS programmes are owned by universities, yet they are not receiving amnesty. On the other hand, FCPS programmes conducted in the same hospitals are being granted amnesty. In several cases, the same supervisor has overseen both FCPS and MS students, but only FCPS trainees have received amnesty,” he added.

Dr Noor said this was why the application was endorsed by AUPSP and forwarded to multiple quarters in the hope that decision-makers would take corrective action.

“How can PMDC maintain double standards for postgraduate trainees from two different setups? There is a strong feeling within AUPSP that PMDC is being managed by certain elements,” he claimed.

PMDC response

The PMDC said it had carefully reviewed the complaint dated January 29, 2026, submitted by Dr Asma Rafique and others, alleging irregularities in postgraduate licensing and accreditation processes.

“The complaint contains multiple generalised allegations without verifiable evidence and appears to be filed with ulterior motives and mala fide intentions to malign the statutory regulatory authority and create confusion among stakeholders,” the council said, adding that PMDC was constituted under the PMDC Act 2022 to maintain uniform minimum standards of basic and higher medical and dental qualifications.

Under Section 25 of the PMDC Act 2022, applications for recognition of postgraduate medical and dental qualifications or institutions must be routed through the federal government to PMDC, it said, adding that inspections under Section 32 are carried out only by duly approved panels.

The PMDC said after the promulgation of the PMDC Act on January 16, 2023, the council decided that FCPS and MCPS qualifications awarded and trainees inducted up to February 16, 2023, would be registered upon application. It added that MPHIL, PhD, MD, MS, MDS and equivalent qualifications acquired up to December 31, 2023, would also be registered.

“This transitional arrangement was uniformly applied to safeguard students and ensure continuity of training without discrimination,” it said.

The council rejected allegations regarding conflicts of interest, obstruction of regulatory bodies, international licensing issues and financial irregularities as speculative and unsupported by evidence.

Published in Dawn, February 8th, 2026