In a landmark development, a medical regulatory body shutdown around 50 nursing colleges across the country over non-fulfillment of the required criteria and all kinds of admissions in these institutions are declared as “illegal”.
The council, apex decision making body of Pakistan Nursing and Midwifery Council (PMNC), in its 3rd session directed to close 45 nursing institutes and colleges being functioned in various parts of the country without having prescribed criteria in the rules.
As per reliable information with Daily Times, the council took such decisions in a meeting/session held later in last month under chairmanship of Jawad Amin Khan who is president of the PMNC.
During the course of inspection, the body found 45 institutes and colleges lacking the criteria and have been banned for any kind of further admissions in any discipline either that are degree programmes or diplomas.
While around 100 such institutions were observed in par with set policy. Subsequently, the council decided to issue the No Objection Certificates (NOCs) to them as mentioned in the minutes of the council’s inspections.
The banned institutions were mainly lacking the faculty, infrastructure, laboratories, equipment and some other mandatory requirements.
According to the council’s decision, the list of colleges declared illegal includes 22 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 12 in Punjab and 11 in Sindh.
The list KP’s illegal nursing institutions consisted on Eagle College of Nursing, Swat, Rehman College of Nursing, Malakand, Aman Ullah Khan College of Nursing, Mansehra, Dilshad College of Nursing, Swat, Valley Heart Institute of Nursing, Swat, Ambassador College of Nursing, Peshawar, Peshawar College of Nursing, Peshawar, United College of Nursing, Swat, Zaib College of Nursing, Timergarh Lower Der, Fims College of Nursing, Malakand, Azam College of Nursing, Swat, Meret College of Nursing Lower Der, Bilal Institute of Nursing, Lower Der, Elizabeth College of Nursing, Mardan ,Hamdan Institute of Nursing, Swabi, Shergarh College of Nursing, Mardan, International College of Nursing, Peshawar, Elizabeth Rani College of Nursing and Allied Sciences, Charsada, Baki College of Nursing, Peshawar, National College of Nursing, Peshawar and Alshifa International College of Nursing, Hallmark College of Nursing, Peshawar is banned only to offer degree programmes and to be continued for diploma education.
The unlawful colleges of Punjab are City College of Nursing Faisalabad, SMK College of Nursing Sheikhupura, Leads College of Nursing, Khushab, Layyah College of Nursing, Layyah, Peace College of Nursing, Faisalabad, Pakistan College of Nursing, Sahiwal, Burewala College of Nursing, Burewala, Ahmed College of Nursing, Pakpattan, Jinnah Institute of Medical Sciences, Sheikhupura and Sulbia Institute of Nursing, Lahore. Moreover, two others Siddique College of Nursing, Sheikhupura and SK Real College of Nursing, Lahore have been allowed to give admissions in diploma programmes only and restricted for degree programmes.
Sindh’s colleges being functioned against minimum required criteria are Hyderabad Institute of Nursing, Hyderabad, Beachwood College of Nursing Hyderabad, Momal College of Nursing, Hyderabad, Dua Institute of Nursing, Hyderabad, Blessing College of Nursing, Karachi, Abdali College of Nursing, Karachi, Mirpur Khas Institute of Nursing, Mirpur Khas, Meher Institute of Nursing, Mirpur Khas, National Institute of Nursing, Mirpur Khas, Sachal Sarmat College of Nursing, Khairpur and Sindu Institute of Nursing, Khairpur
Besides aforementioned colleges, according to a well informed official at the PMNC, four other nursing institutes are under consideration of the council to be banned in the future as they have poor academic and infrastructural arrangements. “Karachi Institute of Nursing, Karachi, Asian College of Nursing, Hyderabad, Dr Ruth College of Nursing, Karachi and SMCA College of Nursing might be shown the door against un-fulfillment of set rules,” the official said.
Earlier, President Jawad Amin Khan told a senate standing committee that the Council is taking action against all illegal practices. “I assure you, some significant progress will come into view after a small period of time as I have assumed charge as president PMNC in recent,” he assured the parliamentary body.
He also informed the house that the newly elected Council conducted 148 inspections in 45 days to examine the colleges’ standards on whether they are offering nursing education to their enrolled students.