KARACHI: Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) here on Tuesday expressed concern over bids to allow private medical colleges to further raise their fees.
In a statement here, PMA showed reservations over the recommendations furnished by a high-powered panel of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) on the fresh admissions for 2017-2018. It said that these recommendations appear to only benefit and empower private medical colleges. “This is all in contrast to the PMDC Regulations 2016 for admissions to MBBS & BDS. The federal government and the Pakistan Association of Private Medical and Dental Institutions (PAMI) have influenced the PMDC to make such unique recommendations.”
PMA said according to these recommendations the tuition fee will be increased from Rs642,000 to Rs800,000. The board had recommended that the candidates will have to deposit fee for the five-year programme in the form of post-dated cheques, which was so far an unmatched rule in the history of the medical education. These recommendations will empower the private medical and dental colleges to supervise themselves the admission process to their respective institutes.
PMA said that it was decided in the meeting that private medical colleges will announce their admissions after the completion of admission process of the public sector medical colleges, but Isra University has announced the admissions in violation of the recent decision.
“It seems that the federal government is running the affairs of PMDC, whereas PMDC has proved to be a toothless body. PMDC and health ministry is negotiating with PAMI, which does not even represent all private medical colleges, to decide the fate of medical education in the country,” said PMA.
It strongly demanded that only PMDC should monitor and regulate the medical education in the country. “The PMDC should be made an independent, autonomous and powerful body to improve the deteriorating standards of medical education in Pakistan,” it added.
