OUR STAFF REPORTER LAHORE - Pakistan Medical Association has held Pakistan Medical and Dental Council responsible for the deteriorating standard of medical education in the country. Pakistan Medical and Dental Council have recently decreased the ratio of teaching staff for students in medical colleges and lowered it considerably to a level which would badly affect the standard and quality of medical education at the 108 public and private sector medical colleges of the country, office-bearers of Pakistan Medical Association alleged. If the decision is not taken back then in the years to come our medical colleges would be producing quacks instead of quality doctors they added. According to the rules and regulations laid down by PMDC, the minimum standards of the students and teachers ratio had mentioned that there should be 1 professor, 2 associate professors, 3 assistant professors and 10 demonstrators for teaching 100 students for each subject. And for a total class of 300 students there should be 3 professors, 6 associate professors, 9 assistant professors and 30 demonstrators to teach one subject like anatomy and as many are required for other subjects like physiology, biochemistry and so on. Thats why Pakistan was producing world class doctors and today the top physicians and surgeons across the world belonged to Pakistan, said office-bearers of Pakistan Medical Association. They further maintained that the PMDC had decreased the criterion for the minimum requirement of teachers and students ratio in medical colleges and now for 300 students in a class the college administration just requires 1 professor, 2 associate professors, 3 assistant professors and 16 demonstrators. The PMA termed it a great injustice that one professor is being forced to work in place of 3 professors and questioned the officials of PMDC that how it was possible that 16 demonstrators would be able to do the job of 30 demonstrators? This would adversely affect the quality of medical education. PMA office-bearers Dr Tanveer Anwar, Dr Ashraf Nizami, Dr Izhar Ch, Dr Akhtar Rashid, Dr Kamran Sheikh, Dr Ehsan Ur Rehman, Dr Shahid Malik, Dr Sabahat Habib, Dr Yasmin Ihsan And Dr Salman Kazmi further said that despite decreasing the criterion of teachers and medical students by PMDC, majority of the private colleges were unable to fulfill the new criterion as well and it is just an attempt of the PMDC officials to make medical education a profitable business. PMA further added that some top officials of federal government were unfortunately involved in changing the criteria and were indirectly responsible for the destruction of the health system of the country. The Pakistan Medical Association appealed to the Chief Justice Supreme Court of Pakistan and Lahore High Court to take notice of the matter.