The delay means the Pakistani medical profession will remain in a regulatory limbo for the foreseeable future.
By Naveed Naqvi
ISLAMABAD: The row over the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) Bill in the Senate Standing Committee (SSC) on Health and National Health Services Regulations and Coordination reached the Upper House of the Parliament Saturday, prompting the Deputy Chairman to seek the committee’s report after the Muharram holiday.
Speaking on the point of objection, Senator Bahramand Tangi pointed out that the Chairman Senate, while sending the PMDC bill to the committee, has sought the its report in two days. He maintained that the chairman of the committee was using delay tactics to bog down the bill.
The SSC Chair Senator Mohammad Humayun Mohmand responded by saying the bill could not be passed in a hurry as it was necessary to consult with the relevant stakeholders prior to finalising its provisions.
“If the members have objections [to my line of action], then I should be removed from the chairmanship”, he said.
The Deputy Chairman Senate then directed the committee to table its report on the bill to the House after the Muharram holidays.
The PMDC bill is a crucial piece of legislation as it is necessary to put the medical profession, thrown in turmoil since the abolition of PMDC by the government of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, back on an even keel.
Related: Crucial PMDC bill stalled in Senate committee
Elected to a technocrat’s seat from the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, Mohmand belongs to Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). He is a “plastic, cosmetic, and hair restorative surgeon” and runs a hair transplant practice in an upscale neighbourhood of federal capital Islamabad.
Earlier on Wednesday, when the Committee met to consider the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) Bill, 2022 and the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Bill, 2022, the proceedings broke down when Mohmand fled from the meeting after failing to bulldoze the bill through the session with his amendments.
He was allegedly acting in cahoots with Muhammad Ali Raza, the current Vice President Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC), chartered by Khan’s government to replace PMDC; and Dr Faisal Sultan, who was Khan’s SAPM on Health and is currently the CEO of Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital, Lahore.
Several members of the Committee had then submitted a no-trust move against the Mohmand, who virtually endorsed their move by saying he could be removed from the chairmanship if the members were unhappy with his handling of the matter.
In these circumstances, it is far from clear if the committee can make any headway on the matter until the next Senate meeting following the Ashura holiday.
PTI’s move to abolish PMDC threw the Pakistani medical profession in disarray as the new body is not recognised internationally. The upshot is that medial degrees from Pakistani universities are set to lose recognition abroad.
The PMDC and PIMS bills have already cleared the National Assembly since June. However, they are not bogged down in Senate. This means the medical profession will remain in a regulatory limbo for the foreseeable future.
Our past coverage of the PMDC bill’s progress can be seen here.
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