ISLAMABAD: Members of the Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat on Tuesday expressed great dissatisfaction with the performance of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) and suggested that it be closed down.
Committee chair Senator Kalsoom Parveen said that future of thousands of medical students studying at private medical colleges is at stake due to flawed PMDC policies.
She said parents pay high fees only to see the colleges shut down by the PMDC over minor issues.
“PMDC has completely failed to fulfill its responsibilities for which it was established,” she said.
Parveen said that medical student from earthquake affected areas who have returned from Cuba after attaining medical degrees are facing immense issues in getting jobs due to strict conditions of PMDC.
The official notification of the Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University has yet to be released while Federal Dental and Medical College lacks professors and other faculty members required, making medical students to suffer, she said.
The chairperson invited all medical students who are facing difficulties in getting admissions or due to the closure of their medical colleges due to the actions of the current PMDC administration to directly lodge complaints with the committee members and even attend the next meeting to speak their hearts out.
“PMDC should be shut down due to its below par performance,” she said.
While agreeing with the reservations of the chairperson, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sheikh Aftab said that complaints against the PMDC were coming from across the country and it seems that the members of the council consider themselves above everyone else.
He said he will forward the recommendations of the standing committee to the prime minister.
Senator Mushahidullah Khan said that the futures of medical students were hanging in the balance because of a certain group at the PMDC.
Senator Kamil Ali Agha said the incumbent PMDC management has become oppressors and the council should be shut down due to their attitude towards medical students and their parents.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 10th, 2014.
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I have done my fellowship in neurosurgery(FCPS) in 2013, but me along with hundreds of specialist doctors are still waiting for their registration. The meaningless tussle between PMDC and CPSP is destroying our career. We cannot apply for any post in foreign institutions. I have never seen such situation in any country around the world that country's own council is denying to register the specialists of its own country!!! FCPS is one of the highest qualification exists in Pakistan yet we are facing such distressing situation. I have been rejected from KSA and UAE because of unregistered Fellowship. Examination committee of Diplomat European Board also refused my application and asked me to register my fellowship prior to appear in exams. One of my friend recently fired from his job from England. Is there any authority in Pakistan who can solve this issue. I request the Prime Minister to look into this matter and save our future and dignity of Pakistan. What a loss for specialist doctors, who have highest qualification of country but have been kicked out by PMDC and continuously refusing to register them. Since 2012, PMDC has not register a single specialist!!! Is it justice for peoples who have sacrificed their life just for their studies?
@amrat kumar: As we all know a common man is being stressed by so called khadme ala politics. In my opinion the whole health system of pakistan with in 72 hrs! Don't you believe this? Yes only surely only one way that is obligate all our polititions and their families to be treated in pakistan public hospitals.
Seems like the PMDC is trying to enforce some rules for a change. That would certainly make it unpopular with private medical colleges and their students. The esteemed senators need to realize that the job of PMDC is to ensure that a minimum standard is maintained in the healthcare profession. They are responsible to the nation and not to the private medical colleges.
We china graduated medical students are also facing a lot of problems concerning our recognition as registered medical practitioners in our own country, Pakistan. It was "PM&DC" who recognized our university previously and gave them a "no objection certificate" and made us enter into these universities and when we got our degrees after facing so many hardships, PM&DC simply refused to entertain us with the promised recognition. They made us hopeless telling that the rules have been changed and all the foreign universities that were formerly recognized have lost their recognition to PM&DC. Whoever needs the RMP, requires another one and a half year of testing before they could register our names as medical practitioners.
Another batch of graduated doctors from another university also faced the same problem and they even filed a case against PM&DC for their deserving right of being registered medical practitioners but their position stand very weak. Our country falls short of doctors by thousands and PMDC is not helping in this matter, on the contrary they are creating more problems for the country and for us foreign graduated doctors, who want to serve the country and help it fullfill its short falls.
Our parents spent a lot of money for our education and we students, spent 6 years of our lives far from our homes and families still we stand at no place close to our destination, unable to play any role at all in the society. Our futures/careers still lie blur. I plead for help in this matter of grave importance. Thank You
"PMDC"had ruined the future of many doctors including the Cuban graduated pakistani students who sufferred 7years far from their families sacrifising thier lives to fulfill the agreement made between pakistan and cuban govt. Though we cuban graduate passed all exmas,hurdles with distinctions even completed our studies according to pmdc's rules and regulations but in last we recieved nothing thanks to pmdc. If you contact with Cuban embassy in pakistan or pakistani embassy in cuba then you will come to know that we have made our country proud with our outstanding results and great remarks from all our professors but on returning to pakistan we are decapacitate to do anything thanks to pmdc. We just want to help ourselves,want to be the part of this great nation by fullfilling our duties and help for better help system and all. .so kindlly resolve our issue and to all those who are expecting still good desitions from our government and pmfc.