FIA tasked to probe medical colleges

To investigate why they were allowed to play with future of students and lives of patients

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has taken notice of granting permission to medical colleges that he said had failed to fulfil the required criteria.

In a statement issued on Friday, the minister asked the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to investigate as to why such medical colleges were allowed to play with the future of students and the lives of patients.

“This should be ascertain as this (granting of permission to undeserved medical colleges) was the result of negligence of the authorities concerned (to allow these colleges to operate) or the crime was committed consciously,” the statement quoted Nisar as saying.

“Whether it is the issue of illegal sale, purchase and transplant of human organs or playing with the future of medical students, in both matters, the involved elements not only committed professional dishonesty but are also culprits before humanity and their strict accountability is necessary,” he added.



“Strict accountability is required for the persons who are involved in these crimes.”

Nisar sought a report into these issues, unauthorised medical colleges and illegal human organs transplant within fifteen days.

Meanwhile, the FIA formally launched investigation into the illegal trade of human organs. It is conducting investigation against persons and their facilitators who are involved in the heinous crime.

The agency has also submitted its and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) initial report to the interior minister on the spot-fixing scandal in the Pakistan Super League.

According to the sources in the Ministry of Interior, there have been reports for the past some years that there were medical colleges which were not fulfilling the requirements.

They said there were complaints that some medical colleges lacked even basic infrastructure to meet the demands. Also, there were a few medical colleges who were enrolling more medical students than the quota allotted to them. In this way they were collecting more fees from students but playing with their future, sources further said.

The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) Centre has lauded the move of the interior minister.



PMA Centre Secretary General Dr Qaisar Sajjad, while talking to The Express Tribune welcomed the move of the interior minister and hoped that the issue would be resolved permanently.

He said it is unfortunate that efforts in the past were made to make education at medical colleges as a part-time venture. He said before granting approval to run medical colleges, in many cases, established criteria was compromised.

According to Dr Sajjad, it was mandatory before issuing approval to such colleges for the competent bodies to look into the matter whether they were capable of dispensing quality medical education or not.

Dr Sajjad said since 2008 there were some medical colleges that were granted approval to operate but they were not fulfilling the set criteria.