PMA writes to PM to restore Pakistan Medical and Dental Council

Blaming the previous federal government for ‘destroying medical education’ in Pakistan, the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has requested Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to immediately restore the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) after removing controversial articles and clauses from the Pakistan Medical Commission Act 2020 in consultation with all the stakeholders.

In a letter to the PM, PMA Secretary General Dr Qaiser Sajjad said the new federal government should not only restore the PMDC but also strengthen it as a democratic, autonomous, independent and transparent body to regulate medical education in the country.

Congratulating Shehbaz for being elected as the PM, Dr Sajjad said he hoped that under Shehbaz’s leadership, the medical education and health delivery system of the country would improve to highest standards.

He maintained that the PMDC was replaced by the Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) through an Act passed by a joint sitting of Parliament without due deliberation by the National Assembly’s standing committee on health.

“The PMC Bill 2020 was the outcome of disingenuous intentions of the previous government which was rejected by all the stakeholders. The central council of the PMA has unanimously rejected the PMC during its meetings,” Dr Sajjad said, adding that the PMC law was identical to the PMC Ordinance 2020 which was declared illegal by the Islamabad High Court in 2020.

The PMA secretary general wrote that the PMA was a national organisation representing the medical fraternity of Pakistan and it not only worked for the betterment of patients and physicians but also acted for achieving the highest possible standards of medical care, ethics, education and health-related human rights for the people of the country.

He asked the PM to hold a meeting with a delegation of the PMA as the association wanted to discuss important issues regarding the health delivery system and medical education in the country with him.