Pakistan Medical Commission

The Pakistan Medical Commission (ماموریتِ طبّیَ پاکستان), PMC, previously known as Pakistan Medical & Dental Council) is a statutory regulatory authority that maintains the official register of medical practitioners within Pakistan. Its chief function is to establish uniform minimum standard of basic and higher qualifications in medicine and dentistry throughout Pakistan by controlling entry to the PMC register of medical practitioners within Pakistan and suspending or removing members when necessary. It also sets the education standards for Medical Colleges in Pakistan along with the Higher Education Commission.[1][2][3]

Pakistan Medical Commission
ماموریتِ طبّیَ پاکستان
AbbreviationPMC
Formation1962 as PMDC
2019 as PMC
HeadquartersIslamabad
Region served
Pakistan
Parent organization
Ministry of National Health Services Regulation and Coordination
Websitepmc.gov.pk

History

The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council was initially established as Pakistan Medical Council in 1948 by adopting the British Indian Medical Council Act 1933 on the recommendations of the 1947 Pakistan Health Conference. It was later reorganized under the Pakistan Medical Council Act 1951 whereby each province has its own medical council. In 1957, the West Pakistan Medical Council was formed by merging the Sindh Medical Council and the Punjab Medical Council. The Pakistan Medical Council Ordinance 1962 established the present-day Pakistan Medical and Dental Council as a statutory body in 1962 and all provincial councils were dissolved.[4] Three amendments were passed thereafter as the Medical and Dental Council (Amendment) Act in 1973, 1999 and 2012.[5]

Purpose

The council has been mandated to regulate the practice of medicine and dentistry in Pakistan by:

  • Prescribing a uniform minimum standard of courses of training for obtaining undergraduate and postgraduate medical and dental qualifications
  • Prescribing minimum requirements for the content and duration of undergraduate and postgraduate medical and dental courses of study
  • Prescribing the conditions for admission of courses of training as aforesaid
  • Prescribing minimum qualification and experience required of teachers for appointment in medical and dental institutions
  • Prescribing the standards of examinations, methods of conducting the examinations
  • Prescribing the qualifications and experience required of examiners for professional examinations
  • Registering faculty and students of all medical and dental institutions
  • Maintaining the Register of Medical and Dental Practitioners
  • Inspecting and formulate recommendations regarding recognition of medical and dental institutions for training of undergraduate and postgraduate qualification
  • Inspecting undergraduate and postgraduate examination for standardization
  • Deciding cases against registered practitioners for conduct and professional negligence
  • Inspecting and approve hospitals for house job and training
  • Prescribing guidelines for medical and dental journals
  • Issuing experience certificates to faculty
  • Setting up schemes of reciprocity with other countries and medical and dental regulatory authorities

Registration

All medical and dental practitioners and students are required to register with the council to legally practice medicine and dentistry in Pakistan. The guidelines for registration are outlined under Chapter IX, Pakistan Registration of Medical and Dental Practitioners Regulations, 2008.[6]

Criticism

Several corruption allegations and scandals have been associated with the council. In particular, irregularities in the registration of medical and dental colleges and allegations of wrongdoing in the accreditation of doctors have also been leveled in judicial probes of the council's affairs. A judicial commission was set up under a court order after allegations of embezzlement in the registration of private medical and dental colleges in 2013. The commission was headed by the former Lahore High Court judge Shabbar Raza Rizvi who concluded that top Ministry officials and influential members of the Executive Committee of PMDC were responsible for the irregularities. Mr. Ali Raza Advocate and Vice President of PMC championed the irregularities under the auspices of Council headed by Dr. Burki.[3]

Representatives of various medical organizations have expressed their concerns regarding PMC that it will give autonomy to private medical colleges for fixing their fee increasing burden on students.[7]

Other than the corruption criticism, there was a huge criticism in the student community as all the provincial medical entrance exams were cancelled and replaced by a single National MDCAT.[8]

Dissolution and Restoration

In October 2019, the PMDC was dissolved and replaced by the Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) following President Arif Alvi signing of the Pakistan Medical Commission Ordinance 2019. The move was done in order to regulate and control the medical profession in Pakistan by establishing uniform minimum standards of medical education, training, and recognition of qualifications in medicine and dentistry. For this to occur, it was argued that PMDC had to be dissolved first in order to properly implement the new ordinance. PMDC offices were temporarily sealed to ensure the protection of essential records and assets. The new PMC would consist of the existing Medical and Dental Council, the National Medical and Dental Academic Board and the National Medical Authority, which would act as a Secretariat of the Commission.[9]

On 11 February 2020, the Islamabad High Court nullified the Pakistan Medical Commission Ordinance and restored PMDC.[10]

On 16 September 2020, PMDC was dissolved again by a joint session of the Senate and Parliament by passing the bill to replace PMDC by PMC to ensure standard medical education in Pakistan.[11]

See also

References
  1. "Dissolution of PMDC through ordinance challenged in IHC". Dawn (newspaper). Pakistan. 31 October 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
  2. http://www.pmdc.org.pk/AboutUs/tabid/72/Default.aspx
  3. Ikram Junaidi, Malik Asad (2 November 2015). "PMDC scandal: Disillusioned with the Hippocratic Oath?". Dawn (newspaper). Retrieved 22 August 2020.
  4. "The Medical and Dental Council Ordinance - 1962" (PDF). punjab.gov.pk.
  5. The Medical and Dental Council (Amendment) Act, 2012
  6. Council, Pakistan Medical and Dental. "Pakistan Medical and Dental Council > Admission rules > PG". www.pmdc.org.pk.
  7. Junaidi, Ikram (21 September 2020). "Medical bodies assail PMC bill". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  8. Saad, (26 September 2020). "MDCAT, ETEA, and NUMS Canceled; New Dates Will Be Announced by PMC". PrepareHOW.COM. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  9. "Building sealed, PMDC employees stopped from working".
  10. "IHC restores PMDC, dissolves new medical council formed through presidential ordinance".
  11. "Pakistan Medical Commission". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
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