ISLAMABAD, Dec 28: The Ministry of Health and the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) have decided to work together for the implementation of the Supreme Court’s judgment on regularisation of unrecognised medial colleges in the country.

Both the Ministry of Health and the PMDC, which were previously at odds over denial of registration of students of private medical colleges by the PMDC, on Thursday decided to take joint steps to ensure the quality of medical education through the implementation of the apex court’s judgment.

On December 15, the Supreme Court had ordered the PMDC to conduct inspections of all the provisionally-recognised medical institutions and submit recommendations to the federal government for their final recognition by August 2007. The judgment had deliberately avoided taking any stern action to safeguard the interest of students studying in these colleges.

The PMDC will now call a two-day meeting of its council on Jan 15 to finalise measures and end long tussle with the Ministry of Health that had adversely affected the quality of medical education in the country.

There are 57 medical teaching institutions in the country of which 29 are in the private sector while 28 are running in the public sector. Except the Aga Khan University medical college, Karachi, all medical institutions in the private sector are provisionally recognised by the PMDC due to a number of deficiencies.

Representation of the private medical institutions in the 52-member PMDC council and registration of students of private medical colleges have always been the basis of a sharp controversy between the health ministry and the PMDC, that had also encouraged a Senate Standing Committee on Health to intervene and come out with certain recommendations suggesting a complete overhauling of the PMDC to ensure quality medical education in the country.

The standing committee had taken up the issue early this year to sort out issues obstructing smooth functioning of the council, accreditation of private medical colleges and recognition of students of private institutions. The committee has also suggested different amendments to the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council Act 1973.

On Thursday, the meeting was told that more than 5,000 students were studying in provisionally recognised medical institutions while a large number of students were enrolled in institutions that were not even provisionally recognised by the PMDC.

The meeting also reviewed the current status of public and private medical colleges in terms of their qualifications and eligibility in accordance with the criteria laid down by the Supreme Court.

It also discussed the potential and the capacity of recognised medical institutions to absorb students of those medical and dental colleges which do not meet the criteria for recognition and are at the risk of closure in the light of the Supreme Court decision.

Health Secretary Syed Anwar Mehmood, who presided over the meeting, emphasised the need of protecting the future of students who were misled to join un-recognised medical colleges.

He asked participants of the meeting to help those medical colleges which had the potential for improvement to meet the criteria for recognition so that more and more students could be saved from displacement.

He underlined the need for strengthening the teaching faculty at medical colleges, particularly in basic medical sciences, as the teaching faculty plays the vital role in maintaining the standard of education.

The meeting was also attended by Director-General of Health Shahida Malik, acting President of the PMDC Prof Dr Fazal Ahmed and PMDC executive committee members namely Prof Abdul Salam, Prof Masood Hameed and Prof Arbab Ghulam Rasool and PMDC Secretary Sohail Karim Hashmi.