Medical education

When the prime minister recently declared the nationalisation of educational institutions in the 1970s by the first PPP government a mistake, besides left-oriented civil and political groups, some of the party's old guard, supporters and workers also rejected his statement. In Lahore, they took out a rally to criticise him and announced that this was his personal view.
Here you have a political party whose workers believe in social democracy and most economic managers it employs are neo-liberal. The biggest challenge today for the ruling party is to be able to create a coherent vision and draw out defined policies in all spheres of national life.
Due to state failure and a total subscription to policies of deregulation and privatisation over the last two decades, notwithstanding which military or civilian regime was in power, private educational institutions today have a much bigger role and stake at all levels.
At the higher level, with some considerable exceptions like the Aga Khan University and Lahore University of Management Sciences, the barons of the higher education industry are no less than sugar barons. Except that their unbridled pursuit for profit and the subsequent damage caused to a common citizen is not reflected in the daily fluctuating retail prices. The quality of infrastructure, teaching and training in many of the higher and tertiary level private institutions is producing graduates and professionals of exceptionally low worth.
It seems the state has not only given up on its primary responsibility of provision of basic services but is also not interested in regulation and quality assurance in favour of people in general and marginalised in particular. But how would they regulate if regulatory bodies are either taken over by the rich and powerful themselves or they are bribed or coerced into favouring elite commercial interests.
One such glaring example is private medical education in the country. You could see the deterioration of both skill and values among the practitioners of this noble profession already but envisioning the state of healthcare system and those running it a few years from now is even more dreadful. It is about people's lives but those at the helm of affairs in the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) are least bothered.
The PMDC is a statutory, regulatory and registering authority for medical education and its practitioners. It is increasingly criticised by senior medical professionals including the independent, representative body of doctors, the Pakistan Medical Association, for alleged corrupt practices and irregularities in mass recognition of private medical colleges in violation of the stated criteria, the registration of fresh medical graduates and issuance of eligibility certificates to those graduating from below par foreign institutions.
A landmark Supreme Court judgement in this regard announced by an open court on December 15, 2006, can be referred to. In the last paragraph of the detailed judgement, it is said, "The Federal Ministry of Health, Government of Pakistan, is directed to ensure that the mandate of the Pakistan Medical & Dental Council Ordinance, 1962 and Medical & Dental Degrees Ordinance, 1982 is given effect to in letter and spirit and any violation of these laws are met with penal consequences as envisaged under the law."
Ironically, rather than putting the house in order by restructuring the PMDC, charges of one kind or the other are continuously pressed against Dr Sohail Karim Hashmi, the Secretary PMDC, someone known for not bowing to pressure and protecting the nobility of this profession. It is about time that the prime minister himself looks into the affairs of the Council.

The writer is an Islamabad-based poet, political analyst and advisor on public policy. Email: harris.khalique@gmail.com