PMDC removes PhD requirement for professor’s post till Dec 31

The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has removed the requirement of PhD for the post of professor in medical universities and colleges, ignoring the rules of the Higher Education Commission.

In this regard, the PMDC has issued a formal notification according to which holders of Level II qualification (MPhil) in the fields of basic science will be eligible for the post of professor till 31st December 2024.

The PMDC approved this decision in its recent council meeting. As per the rules of the Higher Education Commission, it is mandatory to have a PhD for university professors and associate professors, but for clinical (FCPS) doctors, it has given exemption.

The registration of degrees of more than 100 medical doctors for PhD in basic sciences has been stopped by the PMDC for the last three years because the PMDC is not accepting PhD degrees from non-medical universities. Most of the medical universities have not started or have started PhD in biochemistry, microbiology, physiology and pharmacology, but this process has also been very slow due to which medical doctors have to go to general universities to do PhD in basic sciences.

However, PMDC has not recognized PhD degrees from general universities during the last two to three years. But when there was the PMC before the PMDC, it left the entire authority of PhD to the Higher Education Commission and said the PMC would only look at clinical matters while basic sciences would be the jurisdiction of the HEC. Later, the PMDC was restored three years ago after abolishing the PMC.

HEC Chairman Dr Mukhtar Ahmed said appointment of professors on the basis of MPhil is unacceptable and the PMDC’s non-recognition of PhD in basic sciences from general universities is strange. He further said that he will write a letter on the matter and also talk to the PMDC president.

PMDC spokesperson Hina Shaukat had earlier said the decision to appoint professors on the basis of MPhil is only for medical colleges till December 31, but after some time she asked that the news should be stopped for a day as she would take a comprehensive stand with the president. However, she did not reply for two days.