ISLAMABAD: A three-member judicial commission looking into the issues that put the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) and the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) at odds is almost halfway through its task.

Dr Sania Nishtar, a member of the commission and a former federal minister, declined to disclose to Dawn the findings made so far, but said the inquiry would be completed within one month and the report would be submitted by the deadline set by the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

Justice Athar Minallah of the court constituted the commission in February, with Ejaz Raheem, a former federal secretary, and physician Dr Syed Fazl-i-Hadi as its two other members.

It arose from a petition that the PMDC had filed in September last year saying the Ministry of NHS had not been notifying its decisions and seeking the court’s direction to the ministry not to create hurdles in its work.

Whether it was so; and whether the PMDC has been effectively carrying out its ‘regulatory functions’ are the main tasks before the commission.

It also has to analyse if, under the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council Ordinance 1962, the federal government is left with discretion to delay or refuse notification of the members of the council or other recommendations made by PMDC, or has the power to interfere in the matters of PMDC.

It is also required to find out whether the federal government was justified in delaying or refusing to implement the recommendations made by PMDC regarding de-notification of medical colleges.

That is not all. The Terms of References, available with Dawn, require the commission to look into a whole lot of other vexing issues as well.

These include whether applications for establishing medical colleges were being processed in accordance with law, and whether the approved and recognised hospitals and medical colleges are being effectively regulated and registration of medical practitioners i.e. doctors and specialists, is being carried out as per standards required under the law.

Some vexing issues the commission is to look into are whether PMDC has been effectively regulating the registration of applicants possessing qualification from outside Pakistan and whether their degrees are verified, particularly of those already registered and alleged to have fake/forged degrees.

Moreover the commission has to see if the hospitals approved for offering house jobs meet the criteria, and whether irregularities have been committed in granting registration to medical practitioners or in extending recognition to medical colleges and hospitals.

It has to verify that the PMDC has ensured that the medical colleges not approved are restrained from admitting students, and the kind of action it took in case of violation.

Moreover, the commission is to report whether the performance of PMDC has been satisfactory in the past.

In addition, the commission is to suggest measures and actions required to make PMDC an independent, effective and responsible regulatory body; suggest measures and actions to regulate medical education and registration of medical practitioners, and for introducing effective medical audit in the hospitals, whether in public or private sector.

Member of the commission Dr Syed Fazl-i-Hadi said that the Islamabad High Court gave the commission two months to complete the inquiry.

“A lot of work has been done and a lot remains to be done. I hope it will be completed in four weeks,” he told Dawn.

Dr Amir Bandesha, spokesperson for Young Doctors Association Punjab, while talking to Dawn, said the association had been agitating such issues for years.

“The commission should visit medical colleges to see the kind of irregularities being practiced,” he said.

“Given the history of inquiry commissions in Pakistan, I am not sure the recommendations this commission makes will be implemented,” he added.

Published in Dawn, March 23rd, 2015

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