Students of Gujranwala Medical College, Sahiwal Medical College, DG Khan Medical College and Khawaja Safdar Medical College Sialkot will hold a demonstration outside the University of Health Sciences (UHS) today in protest at the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC)’s refusal to register their schools.
The UHS has offered to set a provisional exam for the 400 students at the four colleges, which were opened a year ago. The protesting students say this is not good enough, and they want the issue of registration resolved before December 19, when MBBS Part 1 exams are to start. The students have formed an association called the Young Medical Action Committee (YMAC) to press the PMDC to recognise their colleges.
“We don’t want to sit in a provisional exam. Now we are hearing that the Punjab government is considering making a provincial council to register us, but that won’t resolve our issue immediately,” said Azhar, an office bearer of the YMAC. “If we sit the exam on December 19 and then the PMDC tells us our exams weren’t legal, our whole academic year will have gone to waste. Whatever decision the government makes, it must be made before December 19,” he said.“The future of 800 students is at risk,” said another student, Faizan.
A student from Khwaja Safdar Medical College said that classes had taken place for the first year at the Nursing Institute next to the District Headquarters Hospital. “The next batch of MBBS students has also been admitted,” he said. “The students of all four colleges are connected and we will protest outside the UHS to make our voice heard.”
A student from Sahiwal Medical College said that it was difficult to study when she was not even sure her efforts would be rewarded. “It is the uncertainty that is most upsetting. The provincial and federal governments should clearly tell us about our stature,” she said.
The four colleges were established by the Punjab government last year, but the PMDC says they do not meet requirements for facilities and has so far refused to register them.
A UHS spokesman said that the matter was for the PMDC to decide. “They are our students. We are setting their exams and we will announce their results. The matter of registration, however, is for the PMDC,” he said.
“We sympathise with the students but this is a legal issue,” said a PMDC official. “The colleges are not registered and the unregistered students cannot sit exams, whether provisional or regular.”
Published in The Express Tribune, December 8th, 2011.
COMMENTS (13)
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@Faiza: COMPOSITE prof will not ruin us. If you want to be best and perfect doctor then you have to memorize whole the syllabi of 5 years and also of further studies. But you say that it is difficult for us to give composite prof , then how can you be a good Dr. ?
THIS IS NOT FAIR to have a COMPOSITE EXAM for the students of registered colleges.
We(PMDC Affiliated Colleges) do not want to sit in a composite exam.
This is not fair to us and all our efforts, we've been studying for almost 3 months now.. This is Ridiculous! WHY is UHS makiing a joke out of our career and future?!
Yes, I can understand the frustration of the students of the unregistered colleges but its not fair to us at all.
UHS/PMDC should simply let them sit with us on Dec. 19 and sort out all this registration issues later.
Why is that such a PROBLEM PMDC?!!!
Composite exams will ruin us - we'll have a double amount of syllabus to prepare for next year - already 2nd year will be tough - on top of that you want some more torture of having first years syllabus to prepare as well as of 2nd year if composite prof happens?
our first and last demand is cmposit exams.... This is also suitable for the studentx of new colgs ... We r in continous state of tension since last 2 months ... If uhs takes cmposit exams next yr then there would b enough time for the punjab govenment for the establishment of these colgs and then pmdc will recognize these colgs....... So plz its a request to take cmposit exams next year instead of provinical examz plzzzz plzzz plzzz
i think composite exams are the best option and students should protest in favor of composite exams
1
there are two workable options for the government of Punjab. if these new Medical college especially DG khan are not registered. 1. distribute the students to the existing registered medical college of Punjab. 2. Start PGMI medical college at General hospital Lahore and shift the students there, this medical college was allowed by PMDC but it was not started due the personal concerns of some professors.
a composite proff..!! ! ! ! !! ! ! !! a composite profffff.....dats alll
we want composite proff in next year.
It is the matter of 800 students future. Government should take action to resolve this issue.
we want cmposit proff alng in 2012
we want cmposit proff in 2012, we cant give proff now,, we r not mentally prepare.... Plz