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The Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination on Wednesday deferred the Bill ' The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council Bill, 2022" for further deliberation in the next meeting.

Meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination met today  under the Chairmanship of Senator Dr. Muhammad Humayun Mohmand here at the Parliament House. Bill titled " The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council Bill, 2022" moved by Senator Saleem Mandviwala on his behalf and on behalf of Senator Kauda Babar in the Senate, was examined at length by the committee.

Senators Fauzia Arshad, Dr Zara Suharwrdi Taimur, Sana Jamali, Jam Mehtab Hussain Dahar, Bahramand Khan Tangi, Sardar Muhammad Shafiq Tareen, Saleem Mandviwala, Danesh Kumar, Kauda Babar and Senator Mushtaq Ahmed attended the meeting. Federal Minister for National Health Services, Regulations and and Coordination Abdul Qadir Patal, Former Special Assistant to Prime Minister on National Health Services Dr. Faisal Sultan, Secretary Ministry for Health, officials from the Pakistan Medical Comission and other attached departments were also in attendance.

The Chairman Committee while vetting upon the bill and examining the proposed recommendations of the members in detail observed that the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council Bill, 2022 will undermine the standard of medical studies, which will consequently not produce quality doctors in the country. The Chairman committee belived that the idea behind developing and monitoring a centralised system of medical studies across the country was to provide every citizen of Pakistan even from the remotest areas the same standard of medical doctors as that for the Elite and educated class of the country. Senator Dr Humayun Mohmand said that if the PMC Act 2020 is to be replaced by PMDC, 2022, it is better that each province form it's own provincial regulators and prepare seperate PMC Acts accordingly.

While sailing through the recommendations of the Chairman Committee the ammendment of the nomination of members each from a public Sector University as well affiliated public medical and dental colleges from each Province and the Islamabad Capital Territory by the Prime Minister, was voted out.The ammendment for the National Licensing Examination to be taken place after the graduation by Pakistani students was also voted out. Thorough discussion also took place on the Medical and Dental Colleges Admission Test (MDCAT). The recommendation of the Chairman Committee to conduct test based on a syllabus determined by the academic board for all students seeking admission in undergraduate programs both in public and private medical colleges was also rejected by majority vote.

Senator Saleem Mandviwala presented that the PMC Act 2020 is a disaster of medical sector. It aimed to made a regulatory capture of the council by having all the bodies nominated by the Prime Minister with no selection criteria. Saleem Mandviwala presented that under the Pakistan Medical Comission Act 2020, the Pakistan Medical Comission was not a regulatory body for medical and dental colleges. He said that role and regulatory power for recognition/non recognition of medical and dental colleges has been given to HEC under the Ministry of Education. The Minister for Health, Abdul Qadir Patal said that under the PMC Act 2020, a National Licensing Examination has been introduced after the students have obtained MBBS and BDS degree, which amplies that the regulatory body is testing the same university it granted recognition. " It is ironical that you have to graduate after you have graduated" he further said.

Senator Bahramand Khan Tangi, said that we cannot deprive the students from the Tribals areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan the right to acquire medical studies and become professionalist. Senator Shafiq Tareen and Senator Kauda Babar said that the students of Balochistan and other remote areas are facing alot of difficulties in persuing medical studies under the strict and rigid PMC Act 2020.

The meeting was adjourned for further deliberation on the recommendations of Senator Fawzia Arshad and Senator Dr Zarqa Suharwrdi Taimur and others in the next meeting