PMDC office unsealed on IHC order
Court tells registrar to resume registration of doctors
Pakistan Medical and Dental Council. PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD:
After five months, the sealed offices of the apex regulator of medical and dental education and doctors were opened on Monday.
Its registrar was allowed to sit in his office with minimum staff to resume work, including registration of new doctors in the country.
The offices were reopened on Monday following the directions from a single-member bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), comprising Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, as he heard a contempt of court plea on the prolonged closure of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) offices. The petition had been filed by the employees of the body.
During the hearing, the court had expressed its displeasure over the absence of the health secretary and remarked that it was akin to the government slapping the court.
PTI ordinances: IHC gives amicus curie time to submit written response
Justice Kayani directed that the government must immediately remove the seals placed on PMDC’s gate and make the registrar sit in his office. The court also instructed to submit an implementation report on it within an hour or he will send the health secretary and ministers to jail for six months.
He further remarked that the court’s verdict regarding the restoration of PMDC was not implemented even though multiple instructions in this regard were issued to the government, including the prime minister.
Justice Kayani further remarked that he will go to such an extent for the implementation of the court’s orders that nobody will be able to resist.
The court further inquired whether the sacked PMDC employees were receiving their salaries for the period the council was sealed.
To this, the counsel for the employees responded that they have not been paid for the last five months the regulator has been shut.
At this, Justice Kayani stated that those working in the ministries must be informed that they will be sent to prison for violating the court’s orders.
When the court resumed hearing the case after a recess, Additional Attorney General (AAG) Tariq Khokar appeared before the bench and assured the court that the council will be de-sealed immediately.
He added that the PMDC registrar will sit in his office from now on. The AAG, however, argued that they cannot allow every PMDC employee back in the office given the current precautionary measures against the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
PMDC Registrar Brig (retd) Dr Hafizuddin Ahmed Siddiqui certified to the court that he was allowed to sit in his office without other staff members. However, he insisted that all other staff should be allowed to resume their work in the council building.
At this, the court instructed him to abide by precautionary measures advised by the government and health experts against the pandemic and work with a skeleton staff.
The court added that the registrar can ask the office of the Accountant General Pakistan Revenue (AGPR) regarding the salaries of PMDC employees if they have not received it.
Further, Justice Kayani remarked that registration of doctors was a task assigned to the PMDC and not the health ministry. He subsequently instructed to remove the doctors’ registration desk set up in the ministry.
IHC rejects govt’s appeal on PMDC restoration
He added that the council will be deemed as operational from now and directed the registrar to proceed with the registration process for doctors.
The PMDC had been closed by the federal government last October following the promulgation of a presidential ordinance that sealed the regulator. Another ordinance issued simultaneously had created the Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) which would replace the PMDC.
In February, the court declared the PMC ordinance null and void and restored the council. On March 11, it had given the government two weeks to reopen the offices of PMDC after employees of the council had filed a contempt of court petition, claiming that despite court orders, the government had failed to reopen the offices of the council.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 31st, 2020.
After five months, the sealed offices of the apex regulator of medical and dental education and doctors were opened on Monday.
Its registrar was allowed to sit in his office with minimum staff to resume work, including registration of new doctors in the country.
The offices were reopened on Monday following the directions from a single-member bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), comprising Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, as he heard a contempt of court plea on the prolonged closure of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) offices. The petition had been filed by the employees of the body.
During the hearing, the court had expressed its displeasure over the absence of the health secretary and remarked that it was akin to the government slapping the court.
PTI ordinances: IHC gives amicus curie time to submit written response
Justice Kayani directed that the government must immediately remove the seals placed on PMDC’s gate and make the registrar sit in his office. The court also instructed to submit an implementation report on it within an hour or he will send the health secretary and ministers to jail for six months.
He further remarked that the court’s verdict regarding the restoration of PMDC was not implemented even though multiple instructions in this regard were issued to the government, including the prime minister.
Justice Kayani further remarked that he will go to such an extent for the implementation of the court’s orders that nobody will be able to resist.
The court further inquired whether the sacked PMDC employees were receiving their salaries for the period the council was sealed.
To this, the counsel for the employees responded that they have not been paid for the last five months the regulator has been shut.
At this, Justice Kayani stated that those working in the ministries must be informed that they will be sent to prison for violating the court’s orders.
When the court resumed hearing the case after a recess, Additional Attorney General (AAG) Tariq Khokar appeared before the bench and assured the court that the council will be de-sealed immediately.
He added that the PMDC registrar will sit in his office from now on. The AAG, however, argued that they cannot allow every PMDC employee back in the office given the current precautionary measures against the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
PMDC Registrar Brig (retd) Dr Hafizuddin Ahmed Siddiqui certified to the court that he was allowed to sit in his office without other staff members. However, he insisted that all other staff should be allowed to resume their work in the council building.
At this, the court instructed him to abide by precautionary measures advised by the government and health experts against the pandemic and work with a skeleton staff.
The court added that the registrar can ask the office of the Accountant General Pakistan Revenue (AGPR) regarding the salaries of PMDC employees if they have not received it.
Further, Justice Kayani remarked that registration of doctors was a task assigned to the PMDC and not the health ministry. He subsequently instructed to remove the doctors’ registration desk set up in the ministry.
IHC rejects govt’s appeal on PMDC restoration
He added that the council will be deemed as operational from now and directed the registrar to proceed with the registration process for doctors.
The PMDC had been closed by the federal government last October following the promulgation of a presidential ordinance that sealed the regulator. Another ordinance issued simultaneously had created the Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) which would replace the PMDC.
In February, the court declared the PMC ordinance null and void and restored the council. On March 11, it had given the government two weeks to reopen the offices of PMDC after employees of the council had filed a contempt of court petition, claiming that despite court orders, the government had failed to reopen the offices of the council.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 31st, 2020.