Two associations of medical practitioners say owners of private medical institutions force teachers (doctors) to give additional marks to students in professional examinations.
In a letter sent to the Chief Justice of Pakistan, the Medical Teachers Association and Pakistan Medical Associationhave sought permission to become party to the suo moto case taken up by the apex court against private medical colleges.
The letter by MTA Secretary Dr Khurram Sohail Raja (associate professor) and Punjab PMA Vice President Dr Mohammad Irfan (assistant professor) said the private institutions had ghost faculty as a number of senior professors enlisted in their prospectus were either settled abroad or working somewhere else but the administration called them in case of inspection by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC). The letter reads: `A majority of the private medical colleges lack pre-clinical and clinical academic and medical facilities, necessary for the learning of the medical students. Due to this, there is a visible deficiency in the training/knowledge of their graduates.
`Such institutions also lack emergency medical services and owing to this very serious deficiency, the students of these colleges cannot handle and treat emergency cases.
`In the professional university examinations, the teachers of the private institutes give additional marks to the students in the internal assessment and practical exams and such learners excel in overall university results which is a grave injustice to the deserving students of other medical colleges. Also in the long run, students of these med-ical colleges top the merit lists and even selections for job.
`A majority of private medical institutions give admissions to students with less than 60 per cent marks. This is not only against the PMDC rules but comparatively weaker students become future doctors.
`Owners of most of the private medical colleges take donations in millions of rupees in the name of admission fee but they offer very less number of house job seats and as a result, their graduates come to public hospitals for house job,` the letter added.`The respected Supreme Court is requested to make MTA Faisalabad and Punjab PMA an active party to the suo moto proceedings` the letter ends.
