Daily Times

The authorities concerned endanger the future of thousands of students seeking education in nursing by making Pakistan Nursing and Midwifery Council (PMNC) all of sudden dysfunctional, Daily Times has learnt reliably.

As per available information earlier this month the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination de-notified top two positions of the Council and repatriated a key official working at the PMNC on deputation basis to his parent department. The Council is the apex decision making body of the PMNC as per PNMC amended act 2023.

The ministry de-notified President Jawad Amin Khan and Vice President (VP) Shahid Hussain Bapar. It also repatriated Assistant Registrar Mushtaq Ahmed Soomro to his parent department. He was working at the PMNC on deputation basis.

An official at the PMNC privy to the development termed the fiasco “tantamount to jeopardizing the future of nursing students.” The official disclosed this scribe that the uncertainty prevailed for around 250 nursing colleges across the country who can’t offer new admission until their pending matters with council could not be resolved. The Council is an authorized body to take up such agendas in its meetings.

As per article 9A of the PNMC amended act 2023, the President is head of the council and “shall preside over all meetings of the Council and the executive committee and shall convene the meetings. Likewise, article 9B empowers the VP. ”

“The Vice President shall act in the absence of the President and shall carry out any duties assigned to him/ her by the President,” reads the article 9B.

The sources stated that around 200 nursing colleges approached PNMC to get approval for different matters related to their new enrollments. “Only the council is supposed to grant such permissions to the colleges,” the source said.

Moreover, the official pointed, the failure of authorities concerned to sort the issue can disappoint thousands of ambitious candidates for nursing education.

When contacted, ministry of health spokesperson Sajid Hussain Shah termed these developments as “part of reforms”.

“Such actions are necessary to streamline the overall system,” he claimed.

Besides this, the Council decided in its 3rd session held later in September to shut down around 50 colleges having insufficient required legal formalities to run such institutes. “Afterwards, many among these colleges rectified the pointed deficiencies and filed request to the PMNC subsequently for re-inspection of respective the colleges,” said an official at the PMNC wished not to be named, adding that without completion of ruptured body destiny of these colleges having enrolment of thousands of students would be hanged in balance.

It was decided in said meeting of the council held under chairmanship of the then president Jawad Amin Khan to close 45 nursing institutes over non-fulfillment of the required criteria and all kinds of admissions in these institutions are declared as “illegal”. These colleges 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. These colleges are included as 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.

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.

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.