SHC stops PMDC from acting against JSMU recognition

KARACHI- The High Court of Sindh has temporarily stopped the issuance of a final order from Pakistan Medical and dental council (PMDC) against the recognition of Jinnah Sindh Medical University (JSMU).

According to media reports; The bench, headed by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, issued notices to the provincial health secretary and PMDC to file comments in this regard by the next date of hearing.

The university management has challenged the council’s de-recognition notice in court.

The registrar, Muhammad Irfan Ashraf, said that their university was affiliated with Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), the National Institute of Child Health (NICH) and the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD). He added that their aim was to impart better practical and technical education to students.

The petitioner said that after the 18th Amendment when the three major public sector health facilities – JPMC, NICH and NICVD – were devolved, their staff challenged the devolution in the high court, and were granted a temporary stay order.

He added that as the staff was still waiting for the court’s final decision, the university’s management had not been able to appoint, dismiss or transfer anyone for the last two years due to the stay order.

Ashraf told the judges that due to the operating stay orders, the university was facing a shortage of teaching staff. He said that the PMDC had recently issued a notice to the management threatening to not recognize the medical varsity as it did not have a proper faculty.

The petitioner argued that since the university management could not meet the staff shortage due to the court’s initial stay order, PMDC should be stopped from de-recognizing the medical varsity.

The judges issued notices to the health secretary and PMDC to file their comments for January 14. Till then, they were restrained from issuing a final order in connection with de-recognition proceeding.