PMDC’s restoration
The entire society salutes the healers in these testing times
The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) is to resume functioning after the Islamabad High Court settled a dispute between the former and the federal government. The absence of a regulator was a hurdle in the way of recruiting and registering new medical graduates at a time when more doctors are needed to cope with the coronavirus pandemic.
The IHC recently gave the ruling that has paved the way for the PMDC to resume functioning. President Arif Alvi had promulgated an ordinance on Oct 19 last year under which the PMDC stood dissolved. The PMDC was to be replaced by the Pakistan Medical Commission. The presidential ordinance was challenged in the IHC. In February, the IHC restored the PMDC declaring the ordinance null and void. However, the PMDC could not resume functioning due to dispute with the government on issues like the number of PMDC employees to be taken back. The PMDC wanted all its employees, who had been on its rolls before the promulgation of the presidential ordinance, to be retained. The government was not willing to allow all the employees back on their jobs. Now the government, in concurrence with the court, has agreed to allow a limited number of the employees to resume their duties. The court has ordered the removal of law-enforcement personnel from the PMDC premises.
Concerned quarters had opposed the dissolution of the PMDC and its replacement by another body. They had viewed the government’s move with suspicion as they had claimed that the idea of PMC was floated by vested interests which had their own agenda to pursue. They had expressed fears that the formation of a commission would benefit those running private institutions of medical education and the new measure would also harm the interests of doctors. Medical professionals have welcomed the development, saying it has come when it was most needed in view of the coronavirus pandemic. The entire society salutes the healers in these testing times.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 11th, 2020.
The IHC recently gave the ruling that has paved the way for the PMDC to resume functioning. President Arif Alvi had promulgated an ordinance on Oct 19 last year under which the PMDC stood dissolved. The PMDC was to be replaced by the Pakistan Medical Commission. The presidential ordinance was challenged in the IHC. In February, the IHC restored the PMDC declaring the ordinance null and void. However, the PMDC could not resume functioning due to dispute with the government on issues like the number of PMDC employees to be taken back. The PMDC wanted all its employees, who had been on its rolls before the promulgation of the presidential ordinance, to be retained. The government was not willing to allow all the employees back on their jobs. Now the government, in concurrence with the court, has agreed to allow a limited number of the employees to resume their duties. The court has ordered the removal of law-enforcement personnel from the PMDC premises.
Concerned quarters had opposed the dissolution of the PMDC and its replacement by another body. They had viewed the government’s move with suspicion as they had claimed that the idea of PMC was floated by vested interests which had their own agenda to pursue. They had expressed fears that the formation of a commission would benefit those running private institutions of medical education and the new measure would also harm the interests of doctors. Medical professionals have welcomed the development, saying it has come when it was most needed in view of the coronavirus pandemic. The entire society salutes the healers in these testing times.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 11th, 2020.