Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) bashed Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) for its alleged irregularities in governing the issues of medical colleges, in a press conference on Tuesday. The PMA office bearers showed their concerns over PMDC’s role, lack of transparency in the government sector medical universities and the exploitation of medical students by private and public medical institutions.
PMDC member Dr Shershah Syed said PMDC had failed in performing its duties in line with its rules and regulations. He said that in the recent years, PMDC had recognised every medical college except one in the public and private sector without inspecting the pre-requisites of faculty, infrastructure and teaching hospitals. He criticised the plan of starting night shift in medical colleges and said it would bring havoc to medical education in country.
Dr Shershah said that medical colleges all over the world were full-time institutes, however, all medical colleges in Pakistan were part-time institutes with the exception of one medical college. He expressed concerns over appointment criteria of vice chancellors and principals of medical universities and colleges, saying that none of the current vice-chancellors and principals were eligible to be appointed as assistant professors in international universities such as Aga Khan Medical University.
Right from the vice-chancellors to principals and faculty members, all were part-time faculty members working in medical colleges and teaching hospitals, and at the same time were extensively involve in private practice, he added. “We are producing half-cooked glorified quacks with an MBBS degree,” he said. Dr Shershah accused the PMDC administration of planning rigging in PMDC Punjab elections, in a bid to elect a “favourite” without contest.
He criticised the nomination papers of a grade 18 doctor of Faisalabad Medical College. He said that Dr Zafrullah Saleemi was rejected for the selection of the “favourite”. PMA member Dr Shahid Malik showed concern over the high amount of fee private medical colleges charged. PMA demanded government intervene in the affairs of medical education and training in Pakistan by re-structuring PMDC with representation from public and private medical institutes, universities and fifty percent representation of the professionals through election, as per the decision of Supreme Court, and devise a transparent way for appointment of vice-chancellors and faculty in medical universities.
They further demanded government convert all medical colleges into full-time institutes and withdraw scheme to open night medical colleges.
