LAHORE, Jan 17: Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Monday inaugurated remaining two of the four newly-established public sector medical colleges which are not recognised by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) yet, putting the future of hundreds of students at stake, Dawn has learned.

Inaugural ceremony of Khawaja Muhammad Safdar Medical College was held at Allama Iqbal Memorial DHQ Hospital in Sialkot. Later, the chief minister inaugurated the Gujranwala Medical College at Gujranwala DHQ Hospital. Earlier, two medical colleges had been made functional in Dera Ghazi Khan and Sahiwal.

The Punjab government had allocated 100 M.B.B.S seats each for the four newly-established medical and dental colleges in the public sector without getting recognition from the PMDC, sources told Dawn.

While the PMDC, which claims to be the apex institution regulating medical education across the country with qualified professionals, was playing a role of silent spectator and this was evident from the fact that no serious action was taken against the Punjab health department for committing ‘gross violation’ of the laid down rules and procedures in this regard, sources said.

Our sources said the PMDC had advised the Punjab government a couple of months back in two letters to properly establish these medical colleges and fulfill laid down requirements so that recognition of these medical colleges could be granted. The PMDC had advised the Punjab government that prescribed procedure was to be strictly followed to acquire legal status and secure future of medical students.

However, since then, the PMDC had shelved the matter, almost giving a free hand to the Punjab government to inaugurate these colleges without getting recognition.

Even, sources said, the Punjab government did not bother to forward application for the recognition of the said colleges to the PMDC.

When contacted, PMDC registrar Dr Ahmad Nadeem Akbar confirmed that the council had not received any application by the Punjab government to seek recognition for these colleges.

“Even the PMDC has not been communicated by the Punjab government regarding provision of facilities or faculty recruited for these institutions,” he told Dawn.

He called the allocation of seats and inauguration of unrecognised medical colleges a violation of a verdict of the Supreme Court and PMDC Ordinance, which was liable to be met with penal consequences as mandated under Para 279 of the apex court’s judgment reported as PLD 2007 SC 323.

He wondered as to why the Punjab chief minister was still silent over the matter and said that according to the Supreme Court’s verdict, no institution could train students for M.B.B.S/B.D.S unless the institution was recognised under the PMDC Ordinance, 1962.

Punjab health secretary Fawad Hassan Fawad, however, dispelled the impression that the legal formalities were not followed for establishing new medical colleges.

He told Dawn that academic sessions of all public sector hospitals of the province including four new medical colleges had been started which was “a great news” for the students as well as their parents.

He said he had visited the PMDC’s office some six months back and held a meeting with senior officials and informed them about the Punjab government’s initiative of establishing four new medical colleges.

He claimed that the PMDC management raised no objection at that time when he further informed them that acute shortage of doctors at public sector hospitals was causing serious problems for the government as well as the public.

“We have completed all legal requirements before starting classes at new medical colleges,” he maintained.

To a question that neither the government forwarded any application to the PMDC to seek recognition, nor the regulatory body conducted inspection of the new medical colleges to verify status of faculty, laboratories and equipment, he said all this was a ‘clerical procedure’. The Punjab health department had followed all requirements before starting classes, he insisted.