NA rejects drugs testing of students

The National Assembly rejected a motion on Wednesday that sought at introduction of a bill aimed at declaring drug test of students compulsory, however, the lawmakers passed a bill to reform the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC).

The bill on students drugs test was sponsored by a treasury lawmaker, Shakila Luqman of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and supported by lawmakers belonging to the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal Pakistan (MMAP), including Salahuddin and Akbar Chitrali.

However, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Murtaza Abbassi said law about sample testing of students already exist, while the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) had a joint venture to create awareness among students about the drugs menace.

PML-N’s Chaudhry Bashir Virk said that there would be financial implications as well as psychological impact on the students and their parents after passage of such a legislative proposal.

Later, Deputy Speaker Zahid Durrani, who was chairing the session, put the motion seeking leave for introduction of the bill for vote in the House. Only six lawmakers voted in favour, while 50 members opposed. Therefore, the motion was rejected.

The house passed the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council Bill-2022, aimed at reforming the PMDC to make it a democratic, independent and powerful body for producing professional doctors to serve the country.

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The bill, moved by Dr Mahreen Razak Bhutto and Syed Agha Rafiullah, of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) was passed with a majority vote after clause-by-clause reading.

According to the statement of objects and reasons of the legislation, there were more than 150 medical colleges and dental schools in the country that produced more than 12,800 doctors and 2,100 dental surgeons every year.

“Our disease pattern is different from the USA (United States of America) and the UK (United Kingdom), and our cultural and social behaviour demands a different kind of attention,” it said.

“Majority of the country’s population lives in an unhealthy and toxic environment as the rural areas and massive city slums were without clean water or sewerage system, the bill noted.

The PMC Act-2022, it said, was not well thought-out and would not be acceptable. “It is time to restore PMDC with reforms to make it a democratic, independent and powerful body that can produce professional doctors who can work for the country.”

Meanwhile, the lawmakers passed a resolution to declare all the National Assembly chambers in the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Islamabad building a national museum. The resolution was moved in the House by Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan’s Sabir Hussain Qaimkhani.