Paediatrician elected PMDC president, cardiologist VP

Islamabad : The new top decision-making body of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council on Wednesday elected noted paediatrician Dr Tariq Iqbal Bhutta from Punjab and consultant cardiologist Prof Amer Bilal from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa its president and vice-president respectively for three years term.

The election took place during the maiden meeting of the 17-member Council at the PMDC headquarters here.

Acting PMDC registrar Dr Sitara Hassan managed the exercise as the election committee’s chairperson.

Two members of the Council were in the running for its two top offices.

According to the election results, Prof Dr Tariq Bhutta was elected the president by securing 11 votes, while the runner-up, Prof Dr Shoaib Hassan Shah, polled five votes.

The vice-president’s office was grabbed by Prof Dr Amer Bilal with 10 votes. His challenger, former PMDC president Prof Dr Shabbir Lehri from Balochistan, obtained six votes.

The PMDC president assumed the office afterward.

The council has representatives of the civil society, provincial governments, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Pakistan, Armed Forces Medical Service, and private medical colleges.

On January 5, President Dr Arif Alvi had promulgated the PMDC Ordinance, 2019, leading to the formation of the Council.

The ordinance empowers the Council to approve strategic plans and financial resource development plans of PMDC; develop accreditation standards for medical and dental educational programmes and assessment of international graduates for registration in Pakistan; assess and recognise medical and dental institutions; examine cases for the recognition of new medical and dental specialties, and advise federal and provincial governments on requests for grant of charter to award medical and dental degrees.

Under the law, the government is to get the Parliament’s consent to the ordinance within four months of its promulgation and if it fails to do so, then an extension of another four months will be required through the passage of a resolution by the National Assembly.