Pakistan Medical And Dental Council Cancels Doctors' Licenses On Wrong Autopsy Reports

Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) on Monday permanently cancelled the practicing license of two doctors on preparing a medically false and incorrect post mortem reports

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Apr, 2019 ) :Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) on Monday permanently cancelled the practicing license of two doctors on preparing a medically false and incorrect post mortem reports.

According to an official of PMDC, the council while showing zero tolerance permanently cancelled licenses of two doctors who had prepared false post-mortem reports and directed to initiate criminal proceedings against them. The council also approved disciplinary action against 10 doctors for suspension or cancellation of their licenses while further issuing notices to another four to appear to explain their conduct.

Another doctor was ordered to undergo remedial training. The council also approved the issuance of advisory notes to 10 hospitals in respect of failure of systems and management on their part. These advisories will also be communicated to the relevant Provincial Health Commissions for further inquiry. As part of the disciplinary proceedings it was noted with concern that the process of recording all actions taken is not strictly adhered to and it must be followed by all hospitals and doctors specially recording and providing to patients or their families in writing the medical advice as part of consultations. The council in its 194th meeting reviewed the inspection report of Rawal Medical College, Islamabad and decided to de-recognize the college in view of its failure to fulfill the evaluation criteria for a private medical college. However, as the matter is pending before the High Court, the council directed for the decision to be placed before the court for further proceedings. The students of the college would be adjusted in other recognized colleges in the area as per law.

The council also approved the structure of new evaluation criteria for medical and dental colleges, which entails in addition to initial recognition criteria a periodical performance evaluation of colleges and their corresponding rating in categories which would be publicly available for students also to make their decisions as to preferences.

Colleges in the lower categories would have a fixed period of one to two years to improve their performance and be promoted to the higher category failing which they will face penal action including suspension of admissions and thereafter de-recognition. The council noted with concern that quantity without quality is a dangerous trend, which needs to be curbed and decided that all public colleges will also be evaluated for performance and rated so as to enable the provincial governments and universities responsible to pay focus on these public colleges for improvement.

The official said colleges which would improve performance would also receive incentives including the right to increase their allocated seats subject to proper enhancement of facilities. The inspections would be carried out using an online reporting system to avoid any latter interference. The detailed tools, performa and guidelines for the inspection will be finalized and approved within the next two weeks to enable the council to start many pending inspections and set down a schedule of performance evaluation of all existing colleges. He said that colleges will be provided the new criteria in advance for enable to do a self evaluation after having introduced them to it through detailed workshops and seminars to be held by PMDC. The council also considered a detailed presentation on the introduction of a national level centralized entrance examination to medical and dental programmes.

This would ensure merit across the board while catering for the weaknesses in the education system in different areas to avoid putting students at a disadvantage for reasons beyond their control and finding the best future doctors from across the country, he added. The proposal was forwarded to the relevant council committee to consider on an urgent basis and work out the details for presentation to the council. The council has also initiated work on improving the central induction programme introduced for the first time this year to avoid the problems faced in its first year. In administrative action, the council suspended a deputy registrar, an assistant registrar, the director administration, four officers and a member of the staff in response to inquiries and directed for show cause notices to be issued for hearing of these matters. The actions included the theft of an original file by a doctor from the offices of PMDC against whom the council directed an FIR to be lodged and disciplinary action be initiated.The council also approved immediately advertising for the posts of Registrar, Director Finance and an External Auditor. It also authorized the HR committee to formulate the necessary criteria for the heads of each department and advertise these at the earliest in line with the new service rules.

The council also decided to hold a seminar and consultative meeting with the Provincial Health Commissions to focus on the issues of quality of services and systems at hospitals regulated by the commissions and initiating a consultative process with the stakeholders on developing a more robust and merit based promotion and appointment criteria for faculty at teaching hospitals.