ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has constituted a five-member committee to review 20 new medical colleges. The committee was formed on the special directive of PMDC president Dr Shabbir Lehri. It comprises Lehri, Vice President Dr Abid Z Farooqi, Dr Shafiqur Rehman, Dr Amir Hussain, Dr Muhammad Haroon and Dr Shafiqur Rehman. Requesting anonymity, a senior PMDC official said that the committee had been formed after media highlighted deficiencies in several new private medical colleges. “Ever since the media highlighted the issue, PMDC had been under pressure from the Ministry of National Health Services and Coordination (NHSRC) as well as the parliamentary standing committees on health to act,” he said. He said that the decision to set up the committee had been taken during a PMDC meeting held a couple of days ago at its headquarters. “The committee will check legal and financial requirements for setting up each new medical and dental college. Later, comprehensive inspections will be undertaken,” another official said. “The Ministry of National Health Services and Coordination (NHSRC) has compiled a list of colleges where deficiencies have been found. The list has been forwarded to the PMDC for further investigation,” he said. “In compliance with the ministry’s directives, the PMDC now plans to investigate these colleges. The 20 colleges are: Avicenna Medical College (Dental Section) Lahore, HBS Medical and Dental College (Dental Section) Islamabad, Wapda Medical College Lahore, Al Aleem Medical College Lahore, Hashmat Medical and Dental College Gujarat, Niazi Medical and Dental College Sargodha, CMH Kharian Medical College Kharian, Bilawal Medical College for Boys Jamshoro, HITEC Institute of Medical Science (IMS) Dental College Taxila, Abwa Medical College Faisalabad, Swat Medical College, Malakand Dental College Swat, Muhammad Medical college (Dental College) Mirpurkhas, Shahida Islam Medical Complex (Dental College) Lodhran, Abu Umara Medical and Dental College Lahore, Bahawalpur Medical and Dental College Bahawalpur, Watim Medical College Rawalpindi, Cantonment Board Institute of Medical Sciences (CBIMS), Dental College Peshawar, Rashid Latif Dental College Lahore and Jhelum Medical College Jhelum,” sources said. Talking to Daily Times, Acting Registrar Dr Syed Azhar Ali Shah said that the committee had been requested to scrutinise the documents of those colleges which had applied to the council for re-inspection and re-enhancement of their annual admissions. “After the scrutiny, the committee will share their findings, conclusions, deficiencies found in the paperwork of setting up new colleges. Only eligible colleges shall be called for presentation before the Executive Committee,” he said. PMDC President Dr Lehri said that the decision had been taken to increase transparency in the process of recognition of medical and dental colleges. Earlier, a four-member committee had also been constituted to check 11 medical colleges. The committee, headed by former minister Dr Sania Nishtar, had comprised Dr Asif Mumtaz Sukhera, Dr Abdul Bari Khan and Prof Dr Ejaz Hassan Khan. The committee has yet to announce its findings. The committee had reviewed Bacha Khan Medical College Mardan, Shahida Islam Medical and Dental College Lodhran, Northwest School of Medicine Peshawar, Watim Dental College Rawalpindi, M Islam Medical and Dental College Gujranwala, Nowshera Medical College Nowshera, Bakhtawar Amin Medical College Multan, Sindh Institute of Oral Health Sciences Karachi, Rahman College of Dentistry Bahawalpur and Hi-tech Medical College Taxila. Under the PMDC Ordinance 1962, it is mandatory for a medical or dental college to get official approval from the council before starting academic activities. In case of failure, the college is considered illegal. Published in Daily Times, July 22nd, 2017.