PMDC dissolved, new body to regulate medical profession – Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: President Dr. Arif Alvi has enacted an ordinance that has left the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) dissolved and has paved the way for the establishment of a new organization called Pakistan Media Commission (PMC).

The PMC will be led by a nine-member body and the head of the commission would be called president. Notification of the new ordinance is expected to be published on Monday (today).

In addition, the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) through the administration and the Islamabad district police took over the possession of the PMDC building and ordered 220 council employees that the office will remain closed for a week.

However, the representative body of doctors, the Pakistan Medical Association (WFP), called the decision undemocratic and appealed to political parties to reject the presidential ordinance.

Although it was a day off Sunday, panic broke out in the medical fraternity in the afternoon after the district administration and police took over the council building.

The issuance of ordinances on Sunday causes panic among doctors

Hours later, the NHS Ministry issued a statement stating that the president had signed a new ordinance titled & # 39; Pakistan Medical Commission Ordinance, 2019 & # 39; under which a new era will begin with reference to the regulation and control of the medical profession by establishing a uniform minimum standard of medical education and training and recognition of qualifications in medicine and dentistry.

“The implementation of the new Ordinance requires the dissolution of the current PMDC. The Government of Pakistan, therefore, ordered the temporary closure of the Council offices on Sunday. This would guarantee the protection of the essential records and assets of PMDC. The offices will remain closed for a week. The PMC will be a corporate body composed of (1) the Medical and Dental Council; (2) The National Medical and Dental Academic Board; and (3) The National Medical Authority, which will act as the Secretariat of the Commission, ”he says.

The government of Pakistan has acted immediately to protect extremely important records related to the licensing and registration of all medical and dental professionals in Pakistan, as well as the records of medical and dental educational institutions in view of the approval of the new Ordinance of the Pakistan Medical Commission. The new medical commission is expected to begin operating within a week.

“He regrets the inconvenience caused to practitioners and others. However, it was essential to protect the original records and assets of PMDC as the priority and responsibility of the government. To ensure that no inconvenience is caused to current medical and dental admissions, the Ministry of NHS will take the necessary steps immediately to monitor and supervise the admission process to ensure that it is completed correctly, ”the statement concludes.

When he contacted him, the PMDC registrar withdrew Brig. Dr. Hafizuddin Ahmed Siddiqui, who was appointed in July this year for a period of three years, said that even he did not know that the ministry had decided to take over the building.

“I am very concerned about the secret and protection of the council record. In addition, I am also concerned about the future of 220 council employees as they obtain bread and butter for their families from this institution and I suggest that employees should not be laid off, ”he said.

A former council member, who asked not to be identified, said that a few days ago representatives of private schools held a meeting in Lahore, in which a personality from the United States participated through Skype.

“During the meeting it was mainly decided that a new ordinance would soon be promulgated because the responsibilities of the PMDC, as a regulator of medical schools, would be minimized and universities would be allowed to increase rates, they would not be required to have a certain number of faculty members, universities would be allowed to make their own admission criteria and each university could choose the university of their choice, etc. ", said.

"Need for the time"

When contacted, the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister of Health, Dr. Zafar Mirza, said the new ordinance was the need for the time.

“The world has progressed but we still follow decades-old methods for our medical education. We need to liberalize our medical education and for that we would follow the practices of other countries, ”he said.

While answering a question, he said it was necessary to take over the council building to protect the confidential record.

"There will be nine members in PMC and it would be administered by a president," said Dr. Mirza.

WFP Secretary General, Dr. Qaisar Sajjad, while speaking with Dawn, said the promulgation of the ordinance was an undemocratic step of a democratic government.

“The government should have presented a bill at the House of Parliament so that all interested parties would have given their opinion. If it were necessary to promulgate the ordinance, the government should have abolished the PMDC ordinance of 1962, since the new ordinance also violates the 1962 ordinance that states that the council will be established through elected representatives of the medical fraternity. We demand that political parties reject the ordinance, ”he said.

It is worth mentioning that the PMDC has faced a number of problems and for more than a decade the successive governments tried to gain control of the council.

In the first week of January of this year, President Alvi issued an ordinance entitled "PMDC Ordinance 2019" that suggests that a 17-member council would deal with matters related to medical schools, attached hospitals and medical professionals. Health.

The council was later established and the bill was presented in the Senate on March 7 and submitted to a standing committee. Finally, on August 26, the standing committee approved the bill.

However, the parliamentary leader of the Popular Party of Pakistan in the upper house, Sherry Rehman, presented on August 29 a resolution of disapproval of the "Bill PMDC 2019" that was passed. On the same day, the government withdrew the bill and it was announced that a new bill would be submitted, with consultation of the opposition.

Posted on Dawn, October 21, 2019