Daily Times

PESHAWAR: Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) Peshawar has been warned by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) of de-recognition.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on January 2015 passed the law ‘The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Medical Teaching Institutions Reforms Act’, 2015 to give autonomy to all medical teaching institution in the province.

A letter of PMDC which was available with Daily Times and was issued to the Secretary Health of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa asking question that LRH Hospital a recognized institution under section 16 of PMDC Ordinance 1962.

The letter further said that the institution will train the students of Post Graduate Medical Institute (PGMI). It is further inform that the experience are being issued to the faculty and PG students of the said hospital on the basis of affiliation with PGMI which may lead to discontinuation of the same in case of de-recognition / de-notification of the provincial government.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Government has devolved the Postgraduate Medical Institution (PGMI) to the hospitals and medical colleges where the Medical Teaching Institutions Reforms Act, 2015 has been implemented, according to a notification issued by health department on January 26, 2016.

After the government decision, some of the doctors approached the Peshawar High Court (PHC) when the government initially issued a notification and stated that PGMI has been dissolved.

The government later issued another notification and said it wanted devolution of PGMI, by establishing PGMI in every teaching hospital, instead of its dissolution. However, the Peshawar High Court is yet to announce its verdict.

An official of the health department while talking with Daily Times on the condition of anonymity said that the government was not taking any action of the PMDC letter on October 14, 2016.

He further said if the LRH Hospital was de-recognized from the PMDC then what will be the fate of students and doctors who were working in the hospital as their work will not be recognized internationally.

When contacted Secretary Health Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Abid Majeed said that he has received the letter from PMDC and the letter has further send to the hospital director for further action.

He informed that the issue will be resolved very soon to save the future of doctors, adding that the government is committed to improve the health sector and LRH Hospital will be never de-recognized as it is the oldest and historical hospital of the province.