The 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 PMDC register, and suspending or removing members when necessary. It also sets the education standards for medical schools in Pakistan along with the Higher Education Commission.
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. Three amendments were passed thereafter as the Medical and Dental Council Act in 1973, 1999 and 2012.
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.
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 Executive Committee of PMDC were responsible for the irregularities.
Dissolution and Restoration
The Federal government of Pakistan on Sunday dissolved the existing body of Pakistan Medical and Dental Council and established a new organization, Pakistan Medical Commission to regulate medical profession in the country. According to an official of the ministry of national health services, President Dr Arif Alvi signed a new ordinance titled Pakistan Medical Commission Ordinance 2019 in order to regulate and control the medical profession by establishing uniform minimum standard of medical education and training and recognition of qualifications in medicine and dentistry. He added that the current PMDC had to be dissolved for the implementation of the new ordinance and the government had directed the temporary shutting down of the offices of Pakistan Medical and Dental Council. This would ensure protection of essential records and assets of PMDC while the offices would remain closed for one week, he added. He said the PMC would be a body corporateconsisting of the 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. The government has acted immediately to protect the extremely important records relating to licensing and registration of all medical and dental practitioners in Pakistan as well as the records of medical and dental educational institutions in view of the approval of the new Pakistan Medical Commission Ordinance. The new medical commission was expected to start operations within a week. He regretted on the inconvenience caused to practitioners and made it clear that it was essential to protect the original records and assets of PMDC which was the priority and responsibility of the government. In order to ensure that no inconvenience was caused to ongoing medical and dental admissions, the ministry of national health services, regulation and coordination would be taking necessary steps immediately for the supervision and overseeing of the admissions process to ensure it is properly completed, he added. On 11 February 2020, Islamabad High Court nullified the Pakistan Medical Commission Ordinance and restored PMDC.
Reaction of doctor community
Most of the doctor community was skeptical about this change. They see it as Government's next bid to control Medical professionals in the country. There have been many clashes between Government and Young doctors over issues of service structures and salaries.
