ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has said that as many as 10 universities have been offering unrecognised postgraduate degrees, directing these institutes to discontinue their programmes.

A notification issued by the Council’s registrar, available with Dawn, said, that after a careful review of the record, it was identified that some universities had been offering and awarding postgraduate degrees and diplomas to MBBS and BDS doctors without fulfilling the mandatory requirement of recognition/accreditation under Section 25 of the PMDC Act, 2022.

These universities included TIMES University in Multan, NUR International University in Lahore, Gomal University in DI Khan, Sohail University in Karachi, Shah Abdul Latif University in Khairpur, Khwaja Fareed University of Engineering and Information Technology in Rahim Yar Khan, University of Faisalabad, University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Hazara University in Mansehra and Kohat University of Science and Technology.

“Any institution seeking recognition to offer or award postgraduate medical or dental qualifications must apply strictly in accordance with the prescribed procedure under Section 25 of the PMDC Act, 2022, before commencing such programmes,” it stated.

Furthermore, it maintained that Section 34 of the PMDC Act, 2022, explicitly prohibited the establishment or operation of any institution for training or awarding medical or dental qualifications, including additional qualifications, without prior recognition from PMDC. The same provision also prohibited universities from granting affiliation to unrecognised institutions or programmes, it added.

It further warned that students, currently enrolled in postgraduate programmes offered by these universities, would not be considered, and their qualifications would not be registered by PMDC.

The council also directed the aforementioned universities to immediately discontinue any unrecognised postgraduate programme offered to MBBS and BDS doctors.

“No degree-awarding institution, university, or training institute shall advertise, launch, or conduct any postgraduate medical or dental qualification or training programme without prior formal recognition from PMDC,” it said.

“Trainees/residents (MBBS/BDS doctors) currently enrolled in postgraduate programmes offered by the aforementioned universities shall not be considered, and their qualifications shall not be registered by PMDC,” the notification concluded.