Medical graduates from China at PMDC’s mercy

Islamabad: PMDC reluctant to enlist doctors who graduated Sino-Pak ties likely to brace rare ‘diplomatic storm’ over issue. Despite issuing NoCs, PMDC adamant not to implement court judgments. The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council’s (PMDC) has refused to register 200 medical graduates from 7 leading Chinese universities who successfully completed MBBS after obtaining NOC from PMDC before embarking to China.

These qualified doctors have been left jobless even though they obtained No Objection Certificates (NoC) from PMDC at the time of their admissions. This decision of not enrolling these students will further impact the future of over 500 students are currently enrolled in Chinese medical universities.

This decision of PMDC will have adverse effect on diplomatic ties between China and Pakistan and seems like an effort to nullify the efforts of the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who is banking on huge investments from China.

According to PMDC sources the NOCs were duly issued to these students, however things got complicated after the parliament passed a law, which added an amendment into the PMDC Ordinance of August 13, 2012, which made it applicable to all students that graduate from foreign universities including these.

The students rightly believe that the law should be applicable on students who got admissions in foreign universities after the law was passed in 2012. PMDC claims that it would implement it from retrospective effect which does not make sense.

PMDC NOC exempts students from taking National Examination Board Examination (NEB Exam) which now they must sit and pass in order to get accepted, the students blamed the PMDC registrar for confusing the matter. It is pertinent to mention that NEB is only mandatory for students who get their degrees from universities which are not recognised by the PMDC.

It is interesting to note that in February 2013, all graduates from these institutions were granted registration with the PMDC without having to sit NEB Exam. The NOC to the students was issued to students who were also advised by PMDC officials to get registered with institutions listed in the second schedule of PMDC. However the same PMDC is not denying them the registration.

This decision of PMDC has already been challenged through the Islamabad High Court in October 2013 and the court granted an “interim relief” in February 2014, and allowed the students to start their house jobs till decision is pending but PMDC has still refused to register them.

As of now PMDC got a judgment in their favour from Supreme court of Pakistan.