KARACHI: A health stakeholders summit, which was held Wednesday at PMA House Karachi under the leadership of Dr Ikram Ahmed Tunio President Pakistan Medical Association, dismissed the Pakistan Medical Commission Ordinance and the Medical Tribunal Ordinance 2019 unanimously.
According to this ordinance, all the council members will be nominated by the Prime Minister of Pakistan. It is in total violation of PMDC Ordinance 1962 in which the composition of the council will be some nominations and rest of the members ELECTED by the doctors of the country. Undemocratic maneuvers from a democratically elected government are not expected.
The moot said that the root of the Medical Education, registration and licensing of medical doctors in the country, is Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PM and DC) so the name of the regulatory body should remain the same i-e, PM and DC. This is an undemocratic law, the Democratic government should have consulted the stakeholders first and after developing a consensus, the bill must have been tabled in the parliament, so that all the political parties could give their proposals and a unanimous legislation would have taken place. By this mechanism a legislation, would have been possible for improving the healthcare and medical education, the summit was told.
“There is no representation from Public Sector medical colleges and universities and even there is no representation from the provinces, no representation of Family Physicians. Hence it is a discriminatory ordinance,” the summit was told.
“Non-professionals who do not have any stake in medical profession and do not have understanding of it has become members and office bearers of PMC. The new ordinance has been promulgated to provide greater autonomy to the private medical colleges. They can fix their tuition fee and other charges at their own, can select a university of their own choice for affiliation and can set their own criteria for hiring faculty, the summit was told.”
It was said in the summit that conflict of Interests: The ordinance states that the medical colleges will be controlled by their respective universities. This would cause a conflict of interest because universities get funding from colleges and in many cases universities own these colleges.
According to the ordinance, the students who pass their MBBS or BDS exam will have to pass another exam, National Licensing Exam (Exit Exam), to start their house Job. This shows that you do not have trust over the medical education system even through this new ordinance. The other problem with decision will be a mushroom growth of coaching centers in the country. In the name of preparing the students for Exit Exams they will charge hefty fees from already overburdened parents.
Dubious Overseas Student Migration Policy: A flood gate has been opened for Students studying in China, Russia etc., who have not been able to get admission on merit anywhere in Pakistan, to migrate to Pakistani medical/ dental schools setting aside any regulatory controls.
10. The Medical Tribunal Ordinance is a discriminatory law which aims at speedy trial and it denies the right of medical professionals for going into appeal in high courts. The right of appeal has been restricted to Supreme Court only. Powers of the Tribunal of fining up-to 50 million rupees and maximum punishment of 7 years imprisonment is actually a punishment of becoming a doctor in this country.
The so-called National Licensing Examination (NLE) is being implemented abruptly and without any professional preparation in contrast to the practices of the world. Every Medical / Dental graduate will have to pass NLE twice, one before the start of house job and the other one after the house job to obtain license to practice. Instead of these ill planed examinations the training and education at medical colleges should be med stronger to produce competent doctors.
The ordinances were presented by Dr. Qazi Wasiq and proposed and seconded by Prof. Dr. Syed Tipu Sultan, Ex-President PMA Centre, Dr. Nisar Shah, Member of PMA Karachi, Prof. Dr. Nasir Ali Khan, Secretary General, Pakistan Dental Association
Dr. Omar Imtiaz Hasan, CEO, OMI Hospital, Dr. Atif Hafeez Siddiqui, Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA), Prof. Sohail Akhtar, Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA), Dr. Minhaj Qidwai, Sindh Health Care Commission, Dr. Shehla Naseem, Secretary General, College of Family Medicine Pakistan, Dr. Irfan Ahmed, Civil Hospital Karachi and Dr. Tahir Sheikh, Pakistan Association of Plastic Surgeons.