While initial steps have already been taken for proper handling and resolution of urgent pending matters, the Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) is also working, in parallel, to ensure that the country produces qualified professionals who can serve the health needs of the citizens, and that necessary information about the availability and potential requirements for improvement of healthcare delivery is available to planners and regulators.
The President of PMC Dr. Arshad Taqi President shared these views Friday while addressing a press conference highlighting some of the salient steps that have been taken by PMC ever since its inception four weeks ago.
“We are creating a digital environment to ensure efficient regulatory operations and to assemble critical data. The vision not only encompasses production of competent licensed doctors but also sees to it that they continue to remain updated in terms of their knowledge and skills in line with latest healthcare technology and practice,” Dr. Taqi stated.
The PMC chief informed that until permanent hiring is undertaken, 8 management personnel and 22 support staff have been recruited on an interim basis for 90 days.
The Council’s first priority is to process all pending urgent applications. In this context, Good Standing Certificates have been issued and applications for verifications processed. NEB registration for students wanting to sit for the NEB Step1 Exam on December 1 have also been processed and provided to NUMS. The exam will proceed on December 1, as scheduled.
The Commission’s new website (info@pmc.pakistan.gov.pk) is fully functional and all students and doctors have been requested to send their queries to this account for response on a daily basis. A 24/7 helpline will be operational within a week for updates on the status of pending applications. The IT networking system has been enabled and complete digitalization of PMC will be undertaken to enable students and doctors to process their applications online.
The process of student registration and the issuance of provisional licenses to students has been simplified; repetitive processes regarding documentations and verifications have been done away with. New forms for registration of fresh students and for grant of provisional licenses are being sent to colleges and universities in the coming week and provided to students online. For further ease, online collection accounts have been opened with National Bank of Pakistan (NBM) so that students can deposit their fees at any NBP brand across Pakistan.
For recognition of postgraduate qualifications issued by CPSP, a process has been agreed upon, whereby verifications required by CPSP will be directly communicated to the Commission, and for verifications required by the Commission, the same will be communicated to CPSP which will be verified on an immediate basis through a secure online system, Dr. Taqi informed the media. Online verification services from NADRA have been arranged to enable immediate verification of credentials by the Commission. This is also part of the immediate vision to convert PMC into a wholly IT-enabled online structure comparable to international standards of similar regulators.
An initial meeting has been held with HEC to initiate the process under which, in the long-term, HEC will be carrying out the inspections of medical and dental colleges in collaboration with PMC to enable the institutions to be affiliated with an HEC-recognized University and corresponding registration with PMC for purposes of recording and tracking the medical and dental students to ensure that PMC can efficiently issue licenses when these students graduate.
The PMC will no longer be involved in processing or issuing of experience certificates as was done in the past for faculty. It will only be registering any person electing to become a faculty and recording change in their status of employment as faculty. Fee for MBBS and BDS programmes remains a maximum of Rs.950,000. Any student who has a complaint in this regard may contact the Admissions Board through an email admission.complaint@pmc.pakistan.gov.pk In addition, PMC is informing colleges to provide a verified statement as to what tuition fee, hostel fee, and other charges are being demanded by them in current admissions so as to ensure there is no violation.
In view of renewal of licenses having been replaced with a 5-year revalidation process, the Commission will be processing fresh applications for renewal only for two years to ensure licenses remain valid. Revalidation is a major step in bringing the licensing regime in Pakistan at par with international standards; it will also benefit doctors seeking to obtain access to foreign jurisdictions for work.
