Senate standing committee: Medical council chided over doctors’ fake degrees

Council has yet to take action against 48 practitioners with fake certificates.

ISLAMABAD:

The Senate Standing Committee on Health was informed on Wednesday that the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) registered more than 40 doctors last year without any formal testing.

Awami National Party Senator Zahid Khan, who revealed this before the panel, expressed concern over PMDC’s performance which, according to him, did not take any action against medical practitioners who possessed fake degrees.

“The council registered these doctors without fulfilling the basic criteria of clearing a registration examination,” he said.

He said the issue will be taken up with the prime minister when the committee members meet him on Wednesday to discuss the issue of a medical college in Balochistan and other health-related problems.

Khan informed the lawmakers that the PMDC did not take action against doctors whose degrees were declared fake by a special verification unit. The unit, which works under the PMDC, is verifying the academic credentials of medical practitioners.

According to PMDC’s rules, Pakistani students who studied medicine abroad should pass the registration examination for getting a no-objection certificate from the council.

Majority of the 48 medical practitioners whose degrees have been declared fake are serving in government-run health facilities and the council has recommended strict action against them, said an official of PMDC.

Meanwhile registration of another 26 practitioners has been cancelled because they failed to produce genuine educational certificates, he said, adding that most of them possessed degrees from colleges in Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan.

The council has also requested the Federal Investigation Agency to assist the PMDC in tracking down fake doctors and dentists, he informed the committee.

Meanwhile, the Senate committee chairperson Kalsoom Parveen directed PMDC officials to furnish a detailed report on the issue. She also requested members of the committee to attend the meeting, which will be held later in the month, in which registrar PMDC Dr Nadeem Ahmad will give a detailed briefing on fake registration and degrees’ verification issues to the committee members. President PMDC Dr Sibtul Hasnain will provide details about the registration process of new doctors who studied medicine abroad at the meeting. The committee has sent a questionnaire to the PMDC as the agenda for the next meeting, Senator Zahid Khan told The Express Tribune.

The chairperson also constituted a sub-committee to look into the matters of PMDC and suggest recommendations to streamline the council.

Senators expressed their annoyance over the absence of health secretary Nargis Sethi and recommended official action against her for staying away from the committee’s proceedings.

They also summoned Services Hospital Executive Director Shaukat Kiani to explain the issue of nurses working on contract at the hospital.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 14^th, 2011.