Voicing concerns: Doctors’ body to go to court against devolution of CPSP

Sindh government had announced to set up a provincial chapter of the examinations body

KARACHI: The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) will go to court if the Sindh government moves ahead with its plans to set up a new institution in the name of the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP).

"This is the only option we will be left with if the provincial government goes ahead with its plans," the PMA Karachi president, Dr Mohammad Idrees Adhi, announced at a press conference at PMA House on Monday. He was accompanied by other office-bearers of the association, including Dr Tipu Sultan, Dr Qaiser Sajjad and Dr Abdul Ghafoor Shoro.

Explaining the issues relating to the CPSP and the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), he said that doctors were seriously concerned about the issues under discussion in the press.

Dr Adhi said that the CPSP was an autonomous and independent body, which was performing its functions without creating any financial burden on the government.

"It has a charter from the Government of Pakistan and is also registered in the name of CPSP at a registration authority in Islamabad," he explained. "It is not possible to create a new institution with the same name as per the law."

The doctor added that the Sindh government may set up a new institution and examining body for postgraduate medical education examinations, but it must first audit all public and private medical universities with regards to their postgraduate training and examination.

He was of the opinion that medical institutions were suffering for want of standards across the country, suggesting the government to organise structured postgraduate medical education and training, instead of making a new examining body in the province.

The PMA president once again criticised the role of the PMDC, saying it should be an independent and autonomous body, armed with the power to take disciplinary action against violators of PMDC rules and regulations. "It should regulate medical education strictly and no one should be allowed to open a medical college," he advised.

The PMA office-bearers said that because of some groups, the PMDC was going through a serious crisis and was unable to perform its duties. They asked the federal government to take emergency action to help the PMDC function on merit.

"It should be autonomous, independent and should perform its functions without the influence of a group with vested interests," said Dr Sajjad.

The PMA has advised the provincial government not to create the PMDC on provincial level too.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 21^st, 2014.