GUJRAT: The fate of students of Hashmat Medical College (HMC), Jalalpur Jattan, hangs in the balance as they are not sure of their future due to an accreditation controversy between their college and the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council.
The PMDC has recently recommended to the Ministry of Health to close the medical college for not meeting the required criteria following its inspection by a special committee constituted on the orders of the Lahore High Court.
Part-II students of the MBBS could not take their annual exams in October last year due to non-issuance of roll number slips by the University of Health Sciences as the matter of HMC’s accreditation has been pending in the LHC due to its litigation with the PMDC, the official body to grant permission for establishing a medical college.
Around 100 students of the Part-II had to appear in exams but the PMDC had ordered the college to stop fresh admissions as the college administration had filed a writ petition in the LHC that ordered the PMDC for fresh inspection of the college due to which the UHS has so far not issued the roll number slips.
The next date of the hearing of the case in the LHC is Feb 6 where PMDC inspection committee’s report will be presented after which the court is likely to give its verdict.
The PMDC has also sent the case of the HMC and 11 other private medical colleges in the country to the National Accountability Bureau with a recommendation to proceed against their managements for running their institutions illegally and minting money from people.
HMC Chairman Professor Arif told Dawn the date of the next exams was Feb 14. He said the students had already been given registration by the UHS so there was no question of further delay in the exams.
The Hashmat Medical College was established in 2011 at Jalalpur Jattan, a town some 14km from Gujrat city. It has, so far, given admission to at least 300 students since Part-1 and Part- III (MBBS) classes are going on in the college as Part-II students are yet to appear in the exams.
The students and their parents are concerned over the future of the college.
This correspondent talked to a number of students and their parents who were extremely worried and had no clue what to do.
According to a report of the PMDC inspection team, the HMC could get only 328 marks out of total 1,000, at least 750 marks behind for getting accreditation.
Professor Arif said since the college had been affiliated with the UHS and all the students had already been given registration, there must not be any fear among the students and their parents regarding future status and exams schedule. He rejected the fresh report of the PMDC’s committee that had inspected the college and challenged the authority of the PMDC. He said that since there had been an interim setup in the PMDC for last six months, it was not authorised to issue order for medical colleges’ closure.
Mr Arif said the college had already challenged the formation of the inspection committee in the court and the committee was bound to submit its report before the court on Feb 6.
He admitted that due to the on-going legal battle, the concerns of the students and teachers were obvious.