ISLAMABAD, March 2: Health Minister Mohammad Nasir Khan on Wednesday informed the National Assembly that five illegally operating medical and dental institutions had been asked to close down.

According to the record placed before the house by the minister, the institutions that have been asked to close down are Independent Medical College Faisalabad, Bhutta Medical College Faisalabad, University College of Medicine and Dentistry Lahore, MA Jinnah College Sargodha and Al Huda Medical College Lahore.

In reply to a question by MNA Yasmeen Rehman, the minister informed the house that 21 'provisionally recognized' medical and dental colleges were asked to upgrade their standards of education and improve teaching faculty, hospital facilities, laboratories and infrastructure as per Pakistan Medical and Dental Council requirements.

These are Lahore Medical and Dental College, EMH College of Medicine and Dentistry, Sir Syed College of Medical Sciences, Wah Medical College, Kabir Medical College GIMS, Peshawar; Sardar Begum Dental College Peshawar, Muhammad Medical College Mirpurkhas, Altamash College of Dental Medicine Karachi, Liaquat Ali Khan Memorial College of Dentistry Karachi, Hamdard College of Medicine and Dentistry Karachi, Jinnah Medical and Dental College Karachi, Ziauddin Medical College Karachi, Fatima Jinnah Dental College Karachi, Baqai Medical and Dental College Karachi, Margalla College of Dentistry Rawalpindi, Shifa College of Medicine Islamabad, Islamic International Medical College Rawalpindi, Foundation Medical College Rawalpindi, Women Medical College Abbotabad and Frontier Medical College Abbotabad.

In response to another question, the health minister told the National Assembly that a total of 33 'provisionally' recognized medical and dental colleges were functioning in the country.

Information was placed before the house by the health minister in response to a question by MNA Maimoona Hashmi who had sought details of the recognition status of the medical and dental colleges. The minister said there were a total of 53 medical and dental colleges in the country of which 33 were 'provisionally' recognized.

Following is the list of the 'provisionally recognized' medical and dental colleges as produced by the minister before the Lower House:

PUNJAB: Dental Section, Nishtar Medical College, Multan; Dental Section, Army Medical College, Rawalpindi; Services Institute of Medical Sciences, Lahore; FMH College of Medicine and Dentistry, Lahore; Foundation University Medical College, Rawalpindi; Islamic International Medical College, Rawalpindi; Dental Section, Islamic International Medical College, Rawalpindi (Allowed to admit 50 BDS students per year); Lahore Medical and Dental College, Lahore; Dental Section Lahore Medical and Dental College, Lahore (Only 50 BDS admission allowed per year); Shifa College of Medicine, Islamabad; Margalla College of Dentistry, Rawalpindi (Allowed to admit 25 BDS students per year); Wah Medical College, Wah Cantt.