Pakistan Medical & Dental Council elected Dr. Tariq Bhutta as the new President while Dr. Amer Zaman as Vice President of the council on ad-hoc basis for 13 months.
The 17-member new council notified by Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations & Coordination. Dr. Tariq Bhutta secured 11 votes for the post of President while Dr. Amer Zaman secured 10 votes for the post of Vice President. The elections were conducted at PMDC headquarters and are elected under section 4 (3) of the PMDC Ordinance 2019.
Official said that Dr. Syed Shoaib Hassan Shah, Dr. Tariq Bhutta, Dr. Shabir Lehri and Dr. Amer Zaman Khan and contested in the polls for the position of president and vice president of the PMDC.
The previous council had remained at loggerheads with private medical colleges association over the students fee structure and registration of some the colleges. The former CJP in January 2018 had dissolved the 35-member council and formed a 9-member ad-hoc council headed by former Supreme Court judge, Justice Shakirulllah Jan. Meanwhile, the government was tasked to form new ordinance of the PMDC.
President Dr. Arif Alvi had approved new ordinance of PMDC in January and new 17-members council was formed. The ministry earlier this month notified all 17-members of the council including Dr. Tariq Iqbal Bhutta, Prof. Shoaib Hassan Shah, Ali Raza, Prof. Aamer Zaman Khan, Prof. Amer Bilal, Prof. Khalid Usman, Prof. Umer Farooq, Prof. Saeed Sadiq Hamid, Dr. Sulman Jaffar, Prof. Muslim Khan, Prof. Zafarullah Chaudhry, Maj. Gen. Prof. Saleem Ahmed Khan, Dr. Shehla Baqi, Dr. Kartar Dawani, Dr. Mehmood Haider, Dr. Shabir Lehri, Prof. Nadeem Samad Sheikh and Prof. Mirza Khan.
The new PMDC has 12 representatives from civil society, provincial and federal governments, public and private educational institutions, president of College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP) and Surgeon General of Armed Forces Medical Service.
PMDC asks doctors to stop practice without valid license
Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PMDC) has asked the doctors to avoid private practice or doing job in public or private hospitals without having valid council license.
According to PMDC, no doctor is eligible to practice in the country without valid council registration. PMDC clearly warned through a public notice that the council will take strict action against doctors having invalid council registration. No medical certificate, prescription or advice will be considered valid unless obtained from a medical or dental practitioner having valid registration. It has been observed that doctors and dentists were practicing without having valid license as per Pakistan Registration of Medical and Dental Practitioners Regulations, 2008. The council through a public notice warned them that after one month of issuance of this notice, names of the doctors with invalid registration will be published in the newspapers for strict action.
Under law, no person, other than a registered medical or dental practitioner can practice medicine or dentistry and if any person who acts in contravention of the provisions of sub-section (I) will be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years but will not be less than six months or with fine which may extend to Rs.200,000 but will not be less than Rs.100,000 or with both. As per law, medical practitioner or a dentist possessing any recognized medical or dental qualification whose name was maintained on the register of the council can do job or start practice as doctors in the country. As per PMDC regulation only those names will be retained on the register, who have paid the dues of the council and only these names will be considered to have valid registration.
The council has also planned to take strict action against the doctors having invalid council registration. He added that Pakistan Medical and Dental Council will ensure the countrywide renewal and registration process of doctors.
