Irregularities found in registration of colleges by PMC

Serious irregularities have emerged during the registration process of three new private medical and dental colleges and increase in the MBBS seats of six private medical and dental colleges by the Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC), which has now been replaced by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC).

It has also been learnt that a private medical college in Peshawar that had been closed by the PMC and whose students had taken admissions to other colleges has also been reopened.

For the first time in the history of the PMDC, only the private sector is being benefitted and no seats in public sector colleges have been increased.

According to sources, differences between officials of the ministry of health and then PMC President Naushad Shaikh led to the resignation of the latter as he was not in favour of many regulatory measures.

It has been reported that among the three new medical colleges that were registered, the RLKU Medical College Lahore was allowed 100 seats, Dental College Niazi Medical College Sargodha 50 seats, and Akhtar Saeed Medical College Rawalpindi 100 seats.

Other medical and dental colleges whose seats have been increased include Shahida Islam Medical College Lodhran (150 seats), Shahida Islam Dental College Lodhran (75 seats), Margalla College of Dentistry (75 seats), Bakhtawar Amin Medical and Dental College Multan (150 seats), Liaquat College Of Medical and Dentistry Karachi (150 seats) and College of Dentistry Bakhtawar Amin Medical College Multan (75 seats).

Meanwhile, Muhammad Medical College Peshawar, where admissions were closed and students were transferred to other medical colleges, was quietly allowed to re-admit students. The National Assembly’s standing committee on health has also asked for details regarding the matter.

A spokesperson for the PMDC, Hina Shaukat, said Muhammad College of Medicine Peshawar was closed by the PMC and later reopened by the PMC itself. Moreover, it was during the tenure of the PMC when new private medical colleges were registered and the seats were increased.

The PMDC was established on January 16, 2023, and since then, no medical and dental college has been registered by the council and no seats increased.

The spokesperson said that only after the formation of the PMDC’s academic board, all necessary matters would be taken up.