Health Ministry told to provide names to PMDC, sub-committee to follow process.
PHOTO: FILE
These directions were issued during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination which met at the Parliament House on Wednesday with Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Senator Ateeq Shaikh in the chair.
During Wednesday’s meeting, the issue of arresting an alleged fake doctor from the largest, government-run tertiary care hospital in the federal capital, the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) was raised.
Moreover, concerns raised by Senator Kalsoom Parveen over substandard doctors and those medical practitioners holding fake degrees while working in different government hospitals were also discussed.
The committee asked the federal health ministry to share details of all doctors practising in Islamabad with the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) so that the regulator can start the process of degree verification so as to stop fake doctors at the capital’s hospitals.
In this regard, the committee set up a sub-committee which will be responsible for following the verification process.
"No one will be allowed to play with the health of citizens by using fake medical degrees," Shaikh asserted.
HEC abandons previous degree condition for attestation
He further sought details regarding the practical steps taken by the Islamabad Police against fake medical clinics and fake doctors operating in the city. He said that these fake doctors have been looting innocent people and have even been conducting surgeries.
The practice of a fake doctor at Pims, Shaikh said, was an eye-opener and sought details from the health ministry and Islamabad Police about the matter.
Islamabad Police Operations DIG Faisal Ali told the committee that they have registered a case against the fake doctor who had been found working at Pims while further investigations into the matter are continuing.
Shaikh, though, expressed his dissatisfaction over a written brief submitted by the Islamabad Police on the matter. Moreover, he expressed his displeasure over the concerned ministry’s failure in submitting a detailed report.
The ministry concerned and the Islamabad Chief Commissioner were directed to take practical steps against quacks.
Senator Parveen suggested that not only the degrees of medical practitioners should be verified, but the educational documents of paramedical staff at Pims and the Federal Government Hospital - Poly Clinic, should also be verified.
PMDC officials said that once the health ministry provides them with a list of doctors who are working in the city’s hospitals, the council can start the verifying degrees.
Health Minister Aamir Mehmood Kiani assured the committee that his ministry will provide a list of doctors appointed by the government in major hospitals of the federal capital to the PMDC so that the regulator can start the degree verification process immediately.
He further assured committee members that the matter will be re-investigated once the degree verification process is complete to check for any tampering.
The health minister said that they were taking a number of innovative steps which would improve the healthcare delivery system in the federal capital.
The committee decided to summon the Islamabad Police Inspector General and the Islamabad Chief Commissioner in the next meeting of the committee.
DRAP and pricing
Pricing of drugs by the apex medicine regulator, the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap) also came under discussion during Wednesday’s meeting.
The MQM Senator said that Drap has reduced the prices of some medicines, however, the senator raised questions on whether the authority had done anything to ensure that the standards of these medicines are maintained.
He directed Drap to maintain the standard of these medicines as per requirement.
Shaikh also expressed his concern over the quality and prices of medicines being procured for public hospitals in the federal capital and sought details of procurement procedure.
Kiani said that the government has started restructuring Drap and PMDC.
During a briefing on registration of OTC to manufacturing firms, the committee was told that a new set of policy guidelines have now been enforced, and the OTC has been energised to work efficiently.
Senator Dilawar Khan asked whether there were any proposals for the government to get World Health Organisation (WHO) certification for Drap.
Drap Chief Executive Officer Dr Sheikh Akhter Hussain said that Pakistan has now achieved the third level of the global benchmark and has become a full member of the WHO.
Kiani noted that Pakistan can now export the medicines to the world and soon will be recognised as an emerging stakeholder.
Transplantation bill
The committee unanimously passed “The Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues (Amendments) Bill” on Wednesday.
The main objectives of the bill were to promote the donation of human organs or tissues after accidental or brain death. The bill will be presented before the upper house for voting.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 29th, 2018.
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