TIMERGARA, Nov 28: Jobless medical graduates from Malakand division on Monday rejected the condition of producing permanent Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) registration certificates for employment in the health department and threatened agitation if the condition wasn't withdrawn.

These graduates had gathered in Chakdara for a meeting of the All Foreign Medical Graduates, which was chaired by its president Dr Sherin Mohammad Khan. The meeting was attended by jobless doctors from Lower and Upper Dir and Malakand Agency.

Accompanied by Dr Shabbir Ahmad, Dr Ishtiaq and others, Dr Sherin later told reporters that participants expressed strong reservations about the condition of provision of permanent PMDC registration certificates for appointment to vacant posts of medical officers in the province.

“We have solid evidence that some medical officers serving in the province secured jobs after producing provisional PMDC registration certificates,” he said. He also alleged favouritism and violation of merit in the recent appointment of doctors by the health department in the province.

Meanwhile, many jobless medical graduates said they had cleared written test and interview but their appointment had been delayed due to the absence of the permanent PMDC registration certificates. They further said it took a lot of time to secure the sought-after document.They said they were considering moving the Peshawar High Court for relief to see their repeated requests to the health secretary bear no fruit. The disgruntled lot demanded the successful candidates' appointment to the vacant posts of medical officers in the district without delay.

They warned that the health department's refusal to accept their demand could force them into organising all jobless medical graduates in the province as was seen in Punjab of late.—Correspondent