Amendments to PMDC Bill, 2022 rejected by Senate panel on health

ISLAMABAD: With majority votes, the Senate Standing Committee on health rejected the amendments proposed by Senator Dilawar Khan, Senator Faisal Saleem Rehman and Senator Palwasha Mohammad Zai Khan regarding the bill titled, “Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) Bill, 2022”, arguing that the bill could not be amended once it is passed by the Standing Committee and further amendments can only be made by the House.

Moreover, consideration of the Bill titled, “Prime University of Nursing Sciences Technology Islamabad, 2022”, was deferred for the next meeting due to the absence of HEC officials.

The meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination was held at Parliament House Wednesday with Senator Dr Muhammad Humayun Mohmand in the chair, who asked the Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) and other institutions to resolve the issues of foreign and local medical students.

The Senate Committee deliberated on the bill titled, “Pakistan Pharmacy (Amendment) Bill, 2022”, in detail. Secretary National Health Services told the Committee that a committee consisting of pharmaceutical stakeholders and experts has been formed to review the bill and it will also be presented before the Pharmacy Council of Pakistan for review in October 2022. The Chair recommended the ministry present its stance on the bill in the next meeting.

The committee also discussed the issues of Pharmacy Technician Institutes regarding the conduction of students’ exams and registration in the Pharmacy Council. Officials of Pharmacy Technician Institutes appreciated the efforts of the ministry in conducting the exams of 40,000 students and demanded a schedule for the whole calendar year be drafted.

While deliberating on the issues faced by foreign medical graduates, Senator Dr Humayun Mohmand stated that PMC should help students in getting house jobs after passing the NLE exams.

Representative of foreign medical graduates apprised the Committee that under the PMC Act, NEB was licensing exam but after the passage of the PMDC Act, the NEB has been replaced by NLE and students who passed the NEB exam have been asked to pass the NLE exam.