LAHORE: Expressing extreme displeasure over deteriorating standards of medical education and inflated fee structure of private medical colleges, the Supreme Court on Wednesday restrained Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PMDC) from accrediting new medical and dental colleges till further orders.
Headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, a two-judge bench of the apex court, gave this restraining order while hearing a suo motu case pertaining to exorbitant fee structure of private medical and dental colleges.
CJP Nisar warned that if financial irregularities were found in the affiliation of colleges, the matter would be referred to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for an investigation into it.
“I have heard that the money to the tune of Rs40 billion was offered by colleges for affiliation, ” he remarked.
He observed that the entire system needed to be fixed even if that required closing two or four colleges for violating the laws, or imposing heavy fines on their owners.
He said there should be such a system where children hailing from modest background could study in medical colleges.
CJP Nisar observed that private colleges were preferred because good numbers could be achieved in examinations.
Expressing concern over mushrooming of private universities, the chief justice directed the provincial government to come up with the criterion for granting permission to privately-owned universities.
Meanwhile, the bench came down hard on Faisalabad Medical University’s vice chancellor Dr Farid Zafar after a female lawyer accused him of pressuring her not to pursue the case related to exorbitant fee structure of the university.
The court directed the authorities concerned to immediately suspend the vice chancellor.
She told the judges that Punjab Governor Muhammad Rafique Rajwana’s son too used to persecute her over telephone for taking the matter to the court.
On which, the bench summoned the governor’s son to clear his position over the harassment allegations.
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