Daily Times

KARACHI: The only dental college in hometown of PPP’s slain leader Shaheed Benazir Bhutto, the Bibi Assefa Dental College, has been working without proper planning and the required registration from the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) since its establishment in 2011, Daily Times has learnt.

Former president Asif Ali Zardari had inaugurated the newly constructed dental college on June 21, 2011 and the dental OPD was later inaugurated by the then Law Minister Ayaz Soomro.

According to sources, though the dental college was established however it lacked the basic facilities and requirements which were necessary for registration with the PMDC. The first batch took admission in 2011 with 50 students and till today the fifth batch is under schooling.

“The future of at least 250 doctors is at stake as the management of the college and the Sindh Gov authorities seem least interested in getting proper registration from the PMDC”, sources added.

Interestingly, PMDC after granting registration to Bibi Aseefa Dental College, in November 2015, had suspended them after a gap of one and a half month only, putting the future of 250 students at stake, the sources informed, adding that lack of facilities and faculty members resulted in suspension of the dental college’s registration.

According to sources, when PMDC team had earlier visited the college, the faculty was almost complete however some facilities were missing. The PMDC gave the registration following promises/assurances by the authorities that requirements would be fulfilled but of no avail.

There are around 22 lecturers posted at Bibi Assefa Dental College, out of them 8 lecturers are working in other colleges on deputation basis, while three to four are living abroad but at shown to be on duty that has led to shortage of capacity at the college.

The students of Bibi Assefa Dental College have been protesting and demanding of degrees to be awarded to them however the college authorities are convincing them to wait until the registration of college by PMDC, they said.

Confirming the college’s registration issue with PMDC, Principal Bibi Assefa Dental College Dr Ilyas Shaikh told Daily Times that the college was established without planning however now the faculty has been developed. “We have invited the PMDC to visit the college and inspect its requirements which are available in the college for grant of registration”, he said.

When asked about the future of already enrolled students, the principal said that the chief minister had clearly stated that the college would take up the issue of the degrees to 250 doctors at later stage.

“In case, the PMDC imposes any fine on these students, the college would pay the penalties for the degrees of these doctors”, he added.