CPSP’s monopoly outdoes role of PMDC as a regulator
Zubair Qureshi
Senate sub-committee on health held on August 9 to discuss fate of Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PMDC) Ordinance took serious notice of the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Pakistan’s (CPSP) influence and interference in the working of PMDC.
The committee held that PMDC has been hijacked by CPSP through its President, Dr Zafarullah Chaudhry, member from KPK Prof. Dr. Amer Bilal and member on the seat of Philanthropy, Mr. Ali Raza.
Selection of Dr. Amer Bilal, serving in LRH Hospital, Peshawar, is already questioned in the Islamabad High Court.
He was nominated against the seat of Professor of a Public Sector Institute/ University whereas PMDC does not recognize him as Professor as being a faculty member of an unrecognized teaching hospital.
According to sources, Ali Raza, lawyer of CPSP in various cases, on the other hand got himself nominated in the PMDC Council as a Philanthropist. Both the members are close associates of Chairman National Health Task Force, Dr Dr. Nausherwan K. Burki, cousin of Prime Minister. The two were actively involved in enforcement of MTI Act in KPK, after which numerous doctors have been thrown out of their jobs and against which multiple protests in KPK are being done.
The senate committee observed that CPSP had been unnecessarily interfering in the Council functions with consent of the above two members.
Honorary degree in respect of Dr. Amer Bilal was first registered and later defended by the CPSP lobby with the help of Mr. Ali Raza who being counsel of College of Physicians & Surgeons of Pakistan’s defended the interests of CPSP.
Surprisingly, on receipt of notice from Islamabad High Court challenging membership of Dr. Amer Bilal, Council granted unlawful recognition to LRH. Earlier, 4 members of repute were de-notified one day prior to an important meeting of Council.
The sources told Pakistan Observer these members had objected to the unlawful decisions being made by the Council to protect the agenda of CPSP i-e registration of honorary degrees of CPSP, lowering down the ranking of MS/ MD programs being offered by recognized universities and unlawful grant of experience/eligibility to those CPSP training sites that were never recognized by the PMDC.
It all started with the elections of Council. The CPSP committed grant of honorary degree to Dr. Amer Bilal in exchange to make Dr. Amer Zaman as Vice President PMDC.
The committee had serious observations on flaws in the Ordinance and its practical implications faced by public, students, parents and medical/ dental health professionals and observed that the Ordinance was flawed in various provisions including criteria of nominations and conditions of denotification as not being clearly defined hence accounting favoritism, misuse of power and subsequent denotification on whims and wishes of superiors.
The committee also disapproved PMDC Ordinance 2019 stating that amendments in Act of 2012 could be proposed in the Senate however the committee will not allow any violation of code.
The sources further attributed refusal to accept honorary degree as another cause of these members’ withdrawal from the council.
Unless the present mess is resolved and powerful mafia controlling the council is sent packing, the affairs of the PMDC would continue to deteriorate said a protesting senior worker of the PMDC.
President of PMDC Dr Tariq Bhutta while talking to Pakistan Observer dismissed the impression that some powerful members had hijacked the council.
