ISLAMABAD, March 6: It’s been barely a week since classes commenced for the first batch of Federal Medical and Dental College (FMDC), and controversy is already courting the college.

Dawn has learnt reliably that the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) increased the quota of seats from 50 to 100 but the faculty members were neither intimated of the increase nor were admissions to those seats ever advertised. As a result, many faculty members and heads of departments are openly voicing their concerns in dealing with the incoming batch and the quality of education that can be imparted.

In April last year, the PMDC had given provisional approval for the establishment of a 50-seat college in the premises of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims). This was named as the FMDC and inaugurated by the prime minister on June 14, 2011. The college is affiliated with the Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU), Islamabad, for awarding of degree.

Admission to the 50 seats on the basis of quota for the four provinces was advertised in local newspapers in November 2011.

There was no elaboration on the exact quota or the number of seats that were open for admission. All the advertisement stated in smaller print was: “Admissions shall be as per laid down quota.”

An official close to the developments said: “Since FMDC is a federal government undergraduate college the seats had to be announced with brief details mentioning quota of every province, rural and urban.” This practice is different from the one of those medical colleges that work under the provincial governments: they only publicise the rural urban quota to enable students from backward to gain access to medical education.

Hence, the faculty members at Pims – the attached teaching hospital of FMDC whose heads of departments are also heading departments in FMDC – have lodged a protest in this regard.

Prof Khaleequz Zaman, head of neurosurgery department at Pims-FMDC and head of medical education at FMDC, told Dawn: “As per the federal government rules you have to mention the quota of seats – it has to be clarified how many seats have been allocated to each province and the formula used. Rural and urban area posts are advertised for the knowledge of general public so everyone gets a chance to apply and information is shared on merit for the people.”

Prof Zaman is also perturbed by the unannounced increase in the number of seats at the college, and thus commented:

“Students were never informed that the seats had been increased to 100 instead the version of the officials was that only 50 students will be admitted. The increase was kept like a closely guarded secret as if it was a defence secret.”

He added that the admission policy was never shared with the faculty members and heads of departments of FMDC. “These admissions are controversial. Given that Pims is the attached teaching hospital, in the upcoming faculty meeting of Pims all these issues will be raised and we are thinking of seeking justice from a court of law,” warned Prof Zaman.     He is seconded by Prof Farooq Afzal, head of ophthalmology, who said: “We were never consulted in the admission policy so this whole process is controversial.”

When Dawn asked Dr Nadeem Akbar, secretary of the PMDC, about the concerns being raised by the faculty member, he replied:

“We have re-inspected the new location of the college and extended the seats of the college from 50 to 100 after the approval of the council of the PMDC that has 67 members. It was done on merit and the decision was taken recently in the 120th council meeting [in December].”

Dr Akbar said that they (PMDC) had nothing to do with the admission policy of the FMDC. The FMDC was established on the wish of the Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani who directed the federal government to establish a medical college for poor and deserving students. However, the increase in the number of seats happened in contrary to business rules of admission which are also not clear.

“Even when the admissions were announced in November last year the seats were not mentioned in the advertisement. The only official statements available on record about the number of seats are the statements given to the media,” said the official close to the developments on request of anonymity.

He added: “If the seats of the FMDC were increased then why was no advertisement issued by the college that the quota has been revised and students should again compete for the additional 50 seats allocated by the PMDC.”

When this scribe approached the principal of FMDC Prof Mehmood Jamal he insisted: “I am not aware of the facts because it was dealt by the Project In-Charge Dr Jahanzeb Aurakzai. I was not in the loop and I am not aware of the rest of the 50 seats being announced later.”

Prof Jamal refused to make any comment over the FMDC and its admission policy besides the purchase of the equipment and hiring of the demonstrators and lecturers. He also refused to make any comment over the shifting of the building from Pims to National Institute of Health last month, asserting: “I have no comments to offer.”— Imran Ali Teepu