Ijaz Kakakhel Islamabad
The Upper House of parliament on Monday passed another bill, the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council Bill, 2022, amid protest by the opposition lawmakers, who claimed that the bill was passed for just to please the children of rich people.
The opposition claimed that the Bill was totally against the merit base policy where the admission criteria has been reduced from 65 per cent to 45 per cent. The bill will help in producing sub-standard doctors across the country. They alleged that the bill sponsored by Saleem Mandviwalla and independent Senator Kauda Babar, was not discussed by the rel evant standing committee. The opposition later walked out of the House against its passage.
Minister for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Abdul Qadir Patel said the bill was thoroughly deliberated in the committee’s meeting. Each and every amendment proposed by the opposition was also considered by it, he added.
The House passed three private members’ bills and referred eight others to the relevant committees for further consideration. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Faisal Javed moved the National Commission on the Rights of Child (Amendment) Bill, 2022 which was passed by the House.
Likewise, PPP’s Saleem Mandviwala introduced the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences Bill, 2022, which was also adopted by the House.
Eight bills, including the Right to Free and Compulsory education (Amendment) Bill, 2022; the Tosha Khana (Management and Regulation) Bill, 2022; the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government (Amendment) Bill, 2022; the Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2022) (Amendment of Articles 215, 218 and 228); and identical bills namely the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) (Amendment) Bill, 2022 and the Khunsa Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2022.
