Abolition of PMDC causes unrest among doctors in Peshawar.

Byline: Ashfaq Yusufzai

PESHAWAR -- The representatives of medical community have expressed concerns over the abolition of Pakistan Medical and Dental Council and demanded cancellation of Pakistan Medical Commission Ordinance, 2019 that caused unrest among the doctors.

However, the architects of the new law said that it was meant to streamline medical education and practice through incorporating a fair, free and transparent mechanism.

Talking to Dawn, Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (Pima) chief Prof Afzal Mian demanded immediate cancellation of the ordinance, opening of PMDC office and restoration of its functions to bring respite to the medical and dental students and under-training doctors.

Architects of new law say it is meant to streamline medical education

Last week, President Dr Arif Alvi promulgated an ordinance to replace Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) with Pakistan Medial Commission (PMC).

The architects of the law argue that the restructuring has been started in a way that even if everyone in the new setup at all levels is a crook of the highest order, he should not be able to do corruption as damage being restricted and bound by a system that is so robust, so devolved with clear-cut demarcation of responsibilities, with no discretionary powers with any individual or even group.

'Similarly, automation and computerisation will lead to transparency enabling applicants to apply, pay and track their applications online with no repeated trips to Islamabad to grease a series of palms,' sources in PMC said.

They said that emphasis would be on quality of staff and efficient service delivery rather than accommodating blue-eyed boys of various power corridors and giving them a free hand to make merry plus outrageously exorbitant monetary benefits at the taxpayers' expense.

The salaries of 222 employees of PMC have been raised up to 232 per cent to give them economic relief and make them work with devotion.

'The allowances of which institution are more than 200 per cent of basic pay and where does a private secretary get Rs600,000 pay or a stenographer gets Rs320,000 or a driver gets Rs150,000 or Naib Qasids get around Rs100,000,' questioned sources.

But Pakistan Medical Association and Pima said that the ordinance...