CCP issues show causes to 8 medical colleges for ‘deception’

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The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) on Tuesday issued cause notices to eight medical colleges for operating illegally and deceiving students and parents.

The notices were issued to the medical institutions for alleged violation of Section 10 of the Competition Act, 2010, which prohibits business undertakings from engaging in deceptive marketing practices. These medical institutions have been asked to respond in writing within 14 days and to avail an opportunity of being heard before the CCP on August 4, 2015.

The notices followed an enquiry conducted by the CCP into allegations of deceptive marketing practices after a press release issued by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) in which 22 private medical and dental colleges. These institutions failed to meet its registration criteria for the year 2013-2014 and were therefore either not recognised or had restrictions placed on their intake of admissions.

The inquiry found eight of the 22 institutions named by the PMDC to have misrepresented their recognition by the PMDC through their websites, and omitted to communicate the restriction on their admissions for the year 2013-14. These practices amount, prima facie, to the distribution of false and misleading information which is capable of harming the business interests of another undertaking, as well as dissemination of false and misleading information to consumers, including the distribution of information lacking a reasonable basis related to the price, character, method or place of production, properties, suitability for use, or quality of goods.

These eight medical institutions include: Pak Red Crescent Medical and Dental College, Lahore, Mohiuddin Islamic Medical College, Mirpur (AJK), Abbottabad International Medical College, Abbottabad, Independent Medical College, Faisalabad, Women Medical College, Abbottabad, Hashmat Medical and Dental College, Gujrat, Bhittai Medical and Dental College, Mirpurkhas Sindh, (BDS), AJK Medical College, Muzaffarabad.

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