Karachi:Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has expressed deep concern over the delaying tactics of the government for not de-sealing the PMDC building on the orders of Islamabad High Court. The Regulatory Body for registration of doctors and Medical Education is still nonfunctional.
Dr Qaisar Sajjad, PMA Secretary General in a statement here Thursday said that on a contempt of court petition moved by employees of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), a bench comprising Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani of IHC while hearing the contempt plea for not complying court orders, gave an hour to the government to open the PMDC and warned of sending officials concerned behind the bars. Even then only Registrar of PMDC was allowed to visit his office for less than an hour and no employee was allowed to enter into the building.
The office is even closed today the Registrar Brig (retd) Hafizuddin Ahmed Siddiqui waited for two hours outside the PMDC office Islamabad for entering into his office but the gate of the PMDC Building was not opened for his entry. This situation is very unfortunate and is not acceptable to PMA.
The present regime dissolved Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) and formed Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) to run the affairs of medical education and registration of medical practitioners. Now PMC has been dissolved by Islamabad High Court and High Court restored PMDC and its employees.
We regretfully say that government is not implementing the decision of the Islamabad High Court and PMDC is still not restored. The head office and regional offices of PMDC are closed. The situation is creating miseries for medical professionals, said Dr Sajjad.
He requested the Supreme Court of Pakistan to take notice of the situation in restoring PMDC. Now at this point doctors are fighting on front line with coronavirus in Pakistan, but their registration with PMDC has been expired. Thousands of registration cases are in pending. More than 15000 fresh graduates are also waiting for their provisional registration to start their house jobs. These fresh graduates, if given provisional registration, could become part of the medical force fighting against Coronavirus. Pakistani doctors working abroad are also very distressed because they are not getting their renewal of registration and good standing certificate for the continuation of their jobs.
PMA believes that government should immediately implement the verdict of the Islamabad High Court and open the head office of PMDC, Islamabad and the regional offices in the provinces. The Registrar PMDC should be allowed to take up his duties with 1/3 of his office staff, so that day to day issues of Medical Professionals could be resolved, the release concluded.