PMDC summons medical college admin after student’s death

ISLAMABAD: Following the alleged misconduct and mistreatment leading to a medical student’s death and subsequent student protests, the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has summoned the management of a medical college of Lahore.

The college administration is required to appear in person to explain the details of the incident and any actions taken to address student grievances and prevent future occurrences. “The PM&DC Authority has taken serious notice of the matter,” states a letter sent to the college by the PMDC’s Chief Legal Officer on Thursday. “The college management is instructed to appear before the Authority on 11-05-2024 at 10:30am at PMDC Secretariat, Islamabad to explain the matter in detail and any actions taken by the college to address the students’ grievances and to avoid any untoward incident in the future.” The letter further highlights that a previous response from the college “did not contain any concrete information or relevant documents” regarding the alleged student mistreatment and the subsequent death.

PMDC officials, speaking to The News, confirmed student protests at the medical college following a female student’s reported suicide. The family and fellow students blamed the college administration’s actions for causing mental health issues that led to the student’s death.

“Students allege that the college administration and faculty members subjected her to humiliation, mistreatment, and excessive fines,” said a PMDC official. “They specifically accused a professor of harassing students and misusing his authority.” The official claimed that following the student protests and social media outcry, the college administration issued a notification announcing permanent changes to institute policies “to provide relief to the students.” This, according to the PMDC, reinforces the allegations raised by the protesting students.

The PMDC official stated that the college administration has barred the professor from teaching and academic activities. Additionally, the college has withdrawn its fine policy. These actions suggest that the professor’s conduct and the college’s fine, leave, and attendance policies were indeed causing significant student concern.

“In view of the investigations conducted so far and the actions taken by the college administration, which appear to be an attempt to cover up the matter, PMDC has decided to summon the administration in person to explain their position,” said the official. “This will also set a precedent to prevent other colleges from creating an academic environment that compels students to commit suicide under pressure and excessive discipline.”