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Thursday March 28, 2024

PMC-Sindh row over medical admissions intensifies

By M. Waqar Bhatti
January 07, 2022
PMC-Sindh row over medical admissions intensifies

The row between the Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) and the Sindh health department intensified on Thursday after the commission advised Jinnah Sindh Medical University (JSMU), Karachi, not to intervene in private medical and dental college admissions, also warning all private medical and colleges against violating its criteria for admissions.

The PMC’s advice to the JSMU came after the Sindh health department tasked the JSMU with initiating the process of admissions to private medical and dental colleges in the province and starting giving admissions to students who have secured 50 per cent and above marks in the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) 2021.

The deadlock between the PMC and the health department is over the minimum pass percentage in the MDCAT for admissions, as the commission is not willing to lower the pass percentage from 65, while provincial government insists that students securing 50 per cent should also be allowed to get admissions to the medical and dental colleges in the province.

In its letter to JSMU Vice Chancellor, the PMC has said that the JSMU has issued a public notice inviting applications from all students seeking admissions to the private medical and dental colleges in Sindh, which, it says, is directly in conflict with not only the constitution of Pakistan, the Pakistan Medical Commission Act, 2020 and the PMC Regulations, but also the law as laid down conclusively by the Supreme Court and the Sindh High Court.

The public notice by the JSMU has unfortunately caused grave and unnecessary confusion amongst the students and, therefore, requires to be withdrawn immediately as neither the JSMU nor the admission committee or the Sindh health department is legally mandated to undertake admissions to private medical and dental colleges, the letter says.

It states that under the PMC Act 2020, admissions to the private medical colleges is to be undertaken by the colleges directly as per the criteria submitted in advance by each college, while the JSMU, the admission committee or the Sindh health department cannot by way of a notification amend the PMC Act 2020.

“Any attempt by JSMU to undertake admissions in private medical or dental colleges will amount to not only usurping a right of the private medical and dental colleges but [will be] in direct violation of the PMC Act, 2020.”

The letter further says that neither the provincial health department nor the cabinet had the power to alter the admission criteria laid down in the PMC Act 2020 requiring the mandatory qualification of the MDCAT as per the result declared by the Pakistan Medical Commission. This is in direct contravention of the judgment of the Supreme Court in CP No.4944 of 2021, it says.

Similarly, the Sindh health department or the cabinet does not have the constitutional or legal authority to take such decisions relating to the regulation of medical education or practice, which is exclusively a federal subject as has been held conclusively by the Sindh High Court in the judgment titled 'Naila Maqbool Laghari vs. Government of Sindh' reported as PLD 2018 Sindh 391, according to the commission.

“Therefore, any notification issued to such effect as referred to in the public notice would be in direct violation of not only the afore referred judgment, but further contrary to the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.”

The letter says each medical or dental college is answerable to the PMC in respect of its actions, including any violations of the PMC Act, 2020 or regulations framed thereunder in terms of admissions carried out by the college.

“Any attempt by JSMU to undertake such admissions acting as proxy of the private medical and dental colleges would amount to JSMU attempting to provide albeit an illegal umbrella to such colleges undertaking illegal admissions by way of admitting students who have failed the MDCAT exam. Medical colleges violating PMC criteria shall be liable to having their registration with the PMC terminated with immediate effect.”

Colleges’ stance

The principal of one of the leading private medical and dental colleges in Sindh said on Thursday the admission issue between the PMC and the provincial government had been dragging on unnecessarily, thereby causing embarrassment for both he parties and confusion among students and parents.

“PMC and Sindh health department officials should sit together and resolve it for the better interest of medical education in the country. Sindh should agree to 65 pass percentage for medical college admissions, while the PMC should lower pass percentage for dental colleges to 50 per cent this year to resolve this issue for the moment,” the principal, who requested anonymity, suggested.