ISLAMABAD-Sixteen days have passed, but the ministry of National Health Services (NHS) failed to provide relief to dissolved Pakistan Medical Dental Council (PMDC) employees camped outside the department’s building and demanding restoration of jobs, The Nation learned on Tuesday.
Around 250 permanent employees of dissolved PMDC were terminated two weeks earlier after a new ordinance of Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) was promulgated by the president.
Officials said that employees including 30 years of services were also terminated straight away after promulgation of the ordinance.
They also said that the previous set-up was removed as it was not in favour of giving a free-hand to private medical colleges and their illegal registration practices.
The previous management was also going to take an action against some of the private colleges who were below the set-standards, but before anything could happen, the entire set-up was closed down.
Officials said that a comprehensive inquiry on previous PMDC council which includes some senior names of current PMC needs to be initiated to unveil misconduct and malpractices in the department.
Inquiry period shall be covered from March 1, 2019 to September 10, 2019 in which dubious experiences and inspections were done. To hide their wrongdoings in PMDC, it was dissolved in the name of reforms, official said.
Officials also said that the shutdown of entire department has also suspended all work leaving general public and doctors seeking their verification are in perturbed situation.
Dr. Nasir Shah from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa who applied for urgent renewal said that government has put general public in miserable situation by dissolving PMDC.
“I paid Rs9000 for urgent renewal and had to receive it within seven days, but no one is here to respond to me as entire department is locked,” he said.
The dissolved PMDC employees while staging protest against PMC 2019 held strong sloganeering against newly elected Vice President of PMC Ali Raza alleging him responsible for dissolution of the council and making hundreds unemployed overnight. “Re-instate PMDC and reverse the PMC ordinance,” they chanted slogans. They urged government to stop financial murder of 250 families.
Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on NHS Dr. Zafar Mirza had said that the commission nominated Director General Technical Nasir Mohiyuddin as secretary of the PMC for 90 days and 12 staff members have been appointed for transitional period to establish the system at PMC.
He stated that secretary will advertise new posts in 90 days including the post of permanent secretary.
He added that as the meeting of the PMC continued, so far three committees including legal and regulation committee, finance committee and Human Resource committee have been formed, adding that the process of advertisement of new posts will start within next 48 hours.
He announced that former employees will be given six-month salaries and it will be credited in their accounts in the next week.
The National Assembly Standing Committee on NHS decided to hold a separate meeting on the dissolution of the PMDC.
After consultations with other committee members, it was decided that the committee would meet on Nov 8 with a single-point agenda to discuss the matter of PMDC.