The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has confirmed a Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) probe into corruption charges against some of its officials over alleged malpractices and irregularities in the registration of medical colleges.
The council said the investigation was launched at the request of the health ministry and it would look into the alleged extortion of over Rs60 million by some PMDC officials against the outstanding payment of arrears of a federal allowance to the council employees.
The statement claimed that there were alleged irregularities in the recognition of some medical and dental colleges as well as alleged illegal registration of some unrecognised qualifications.
“The FIA has recorded statements of 10 employees and has registered a criminal case against the deputy director legal, verification officer and others regarding corruption charges. FIA has also summoned records from the PMDC regarding payment of federal allowance arrears to the employees, details of recognition of some medical colleges since 2020, inquiry reports against officers and a list of doctors facing disciplinary proceedings, whose licences were suspended and later restored in 2021,” it stated.
Case registered against PMDC officials over corruption charges
“The PMDC being a professional organisation is fully cooperating with the FIA in the enquiry as per its regulations and will take stern disciplinary action against any employee(s) found guilty in the enquiry as per law,” it stated.
Meanwhile, the PMDC announced the result of the National Registration Examination (NRE) Step 2. In the said examination, 367 candidates appeared and more than 50pc passed the exam.
According to the statement, the exam was conducted by the National University of Medical Sciences as per the schedule announced by the council. The exam was held at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) on December 10, 2023.
“The whole purpose of the NRE is to test competency, knowledge, and skills of a graduate to ensure they are a ‘safe doctor’, as they would be granted a licence to treat patients independently. The NRE skills/clinical exam represents the basic skills that are mandatory for patient handling and management in the absence of which patients would be at severe risk,” it added.
The NRE refers to a standardised test administered by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council. The PMDC conducts this examination for medical graduates who have acquired their degrees from foreign institutions and wish to practice medicine in Pakistan.
PMDC President Prof Rizwan Taj said that the National Registration Examination was “likely to protect the rights of the patients and to encourage all able and learned students to assume practice in the field”. He added that PMDC did not compromise on public safety standards and was working with dedication to facilitate and improve the healthcare system.
