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Pakistan Medical and Dental Council

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Pakistan Medical and Dental Council
پاکستان میڈیکل اینڈ ڈینٹل کمیشن
AbbreviationPM&DC
Formation1962; 62 years ago (1962)
HeadquartersMauve Area, Islamabad-44000
Region served
Pakistan
President
Prof. Dr. Rizwan Taj
Parent organization
Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination
Higher Education Commission (Pakistan)
Employees
232
Websitepmdc.pk
Formerly called
PMC (Pakistan Medical Commission)

Pakistan Medical and Dental Council is a statutory regulatory authority that maintains the official register of medical practitioners in Pakistan. Its chief function is to establish uniform minimum standards of basic and higher qualifications in medicine and dentistry throughout Pakistan. It also sets the education standards for medical colleges in Pakistan along with the Higher Education Commission.[1][2][3]

History

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The Pakistan Medical Council was initially established in 1948 by adopting the British Indian Medical Council Act 1933 on the recommendations of the 1947 Pakistan Health Conference. It was later reorganized under the Pakistan Medical Council Act 1951 whereby each province has its own medical council. In 1957, the West Pakistan Medical Council was formed by merging the Sindh Medical Council and the Punjab Medical Council. The Pakistan Medical Council Ordinance 1962 established the present-day Pakistan Medical and Dental Council as a statutory body in 1962 and all provincial councils were dissolved.[4] Three amendments were passed thereafter as the Medical and Dental Council (Amendment) Act in 1973, 1999 and 2012.[5] In 2019, President Arif Alvi passed a Law and dissolved the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PM&DC) to create a new council named as Pakistan Medical Council (PMC). However after 3 years in 2022, the Islamabad High Court restored the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PM&DC) and declared the formation of Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) – a body formed through a presidential ordinance in its place – as illegal.[6]

Registration

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All medical and dental practitioners and students are required to register with the commission to legally practice medicine and dentistry in Pakistan. The guidelines for registration are outlined under Chapter IX, Pakistan Registration of Medical and Dental Practitioners Regulations, 2008.[7]

Criticism

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Several corruption allegations and scandals have been associated with the previous council (PMC). In particular, irregularities in the registration of medical and dental colleges and allegations of wrongdoing in the accreditation of doctors have also been leveled in judicial probes of the council's affairs.[8] A judicial commission was set up under a court order after allegations of embezzlement in the registration of private medical and dental colleges surfaced in 2013. The commission was headed by the former Lahore High Court judge Shabbar Raza Rizvi.[citation needed]

Representatives of various medical organisations have expressed their concerns regarding PMC that it will give autonomy to private medical colleges for fixing their fees, thus increasing the burden on students.[9]

Dissolution and restoration

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In October 2019, the PMDC was dissolved and replaced by the Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) following President Arif Alvi's signing of the Pakistan Medical Commission Ordinance 2019. The move was done in order to regulate and control the medical profession in Pakistan by establishing uniform minimum standards of medical education, training, and recognition of qualifications in medicine and dentistry. For this to occur, it was argued that PMDC had to be dissolved first in order to properly implement the new ordinance. PMDC offices were temporarily sealed to ensure the protection of essential records and assets. The new PMC would consist of the existing Medical and Dental Council, the National Medical and Dental Academic Board, and the National Medical Authority, which would act as a Secretariat of the Commission.[10]

On 11 February 2020, the Islamabad High Court nullified the Pakistan Medical Commission Ordinance and restored PMDC.[11]

On 16 September 2020, PMDC was dissolved again by a joint session of the Senate and Parliament by passing the bill to replace PMDC with PMC to ensure standard medical education in Pakistan.

On 23 August 2022, The Senate Standing Committee on Health on Tuesday approved the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council Amendment Bill, 2022, with a majority vote, after which the legal status of the PMC has ceased to exist.[12]

On 12 January 2023, The President of Pakistan gave final approval to the PMDC Bill 2022 after which the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council have been established.[13]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Code of medical ethics being revised (by PMDC)". Dawn newspaper. Archived from the original on 18 December 2002. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  2. ^ "Dissolution of PMDC through ordinance challenged in IHC". Dawn newspaper. Pakistan. 31 October 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
  3. ^ Ikram Junaidi, Malik Asad (2 November 2015). "PMDC scandal: Disillusioned with the Hippocratic Oath?". Dawn newspaper. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
  4. ^ "The Medical and Dental Council Ordinance - 1962" (PDF). punjab.gov.pk.
  5. ^ The Medical and Dental Council (Amendment) Act, 2012
  6. ^ "IHC restores PMDC, declares PMC dissolved". The Express Tribune newspaper. 11 February 2020. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  7. ^ Council, Pakistan Medical and Dental. "Pakistan Medical and Dental Council > Admission rules > PG". pmdc.org.pk website.
  8. ^ Junaidi, Ikram (29 September 2021). "NAB seeks details of MDCAT contract". Dawn newspaper. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  9. ^ Junaidi, Ikram (21 September 2020). "Medical bodies assail PMC bill". Dawn newspaper. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  10. ^ Ikram Junaidi (24 September 2020). "Building sealed, PMDC employees stopped from working". Dawn newspaper. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  11. ^ Tahir Naseer (11 February 2020). "IHC restores PMDC, dissolves new medical council formed through presidential ordinance". Dawn newspaper. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  12. ^ "PMC virtually ceases to exist". The Express Tribune newspaper. 23 August 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  13. ^ "Change is in the air at restored PMDC". The Express Tribune newspaper. 16 January 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
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