Pakistan Medical and Dental Council

Pakistan Medical & Dental Council
پاکستان طبی و دندان سازی انجمن‬
Agency overview
Jurisdiction Pakistan
Headquarters Islamabad
Agency executives
  • Dr. Shabbir Ahmed Lehri, President
  • Dr. Abid Zaheer Farooqi, Vice President
Parent department Ministry of National Health Services Regulation and Coordination
Website pmdc.org.pk

The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (Urdu: پاکستان طبی و دندان سازی انجمن‬‎; abbreviated as PMDC) is a statutory regulatory authority under the Ministry of National Health Services Regulation and Coordination that maintains the official register of medical practitioners within Pakistan. Its chief function is to "establish uniform minimum standard of basic and higher qualifications in medicine and dentistry throughout Pakistan" by controlling entry to the PMDC register and suspending or removing members when necessary. It also sets the education standards for medical schools in Pakistan along with the Higher Education Commission (Pakistan).[1]

History

The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council was initially established as the Pakistan Medical Council 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 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.[2] Three amendments were passed thereafter as the Medical and Dental Council (Amendment) Act in 1973, 1999 and 2012.[3]

Purpose

PMDC has been given a mandate to establish uniform medical and dental practice across Pakistan by:

  • Prescribing a uniform minimum standard of courses of training for obtaining graduate and post graduate medical and dental qualifications.
  • Prescribing minimum requirements for the content and duration of graduate and post graduate medical and dental courses of study.
  • Prescribing the conditions for admission of courses of training as aforesaid.
  • Prescribing minimum qualification and experience required of teachers for appointment in medical and dental institutions.
  • Prescribing the standards of examinations, methods of conducting the examinations.
  • Prescribing the qualifications and experience required of examiners for professional examinations.
  • Registering faculty and students of all medical and dental institutions.
  • Maintaining the Register of Medical & Dental Practitioners.
  • Inspecting and formulate recommendations regarding recognition of medical and dental Institutions for training of undergraduate and postgraduate qualification.
  • Inspecting undergraduate and postgraduate examination for standardization.
  • Deciding cases against registered practitioners for conduct and professional negligence.
  • Inspecting and approve hospitals for house job and training.
  • Prescribing guidelines for medical and dental journals.
  • Issuing experience certificates to faculty.
  • Setting up schemes of reciprocity with other countries and medical regulatory authorities.

Registration

All medical practitioners and students are required to register with PMDC, to legally practice medicine in Pakistan. The guidelines for registration are outlined under "Chapter IX, Pakistan Registration of Medical and Dental Practitioners Regulations, 2008.[4]

Medical education

Criticism

Several corruption allegations and scandals have been associated with PMDC. In particular, irregularities in the registration of medical colleges and allegations of wrongdoing in the accreditation of doctors have also been leveled in judicial probes of PMDC’s affairs. A judicial commission was set up under a court order after allegations of embezzlement in the registration of private colleges in 2013 — the commission was headed by former Lahore High Court judge Shabbar Raza Rizvi.[5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.pmdc.org.pk/AboutUs/tabid/72/Default.aspx
  2. ↑ "The Medical and Dental Council Ordinance - 1962" (PDF). punjab.gov.pk.
  3. ↑ The Medical and Dental Council (Amendment) Act, 2012
  4. ↑ Council, Pakistan Medical & Dental. "Pakistan Medical & Dental Council > Admission rules > PG". www.pmdc.org.pk.
  5. ↑ Ikram Junaidi, Malik Asad (2 November 2015). "PMDC scandal: Disillusioned with the Hippocratic Oath?". dawn.com.
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