PMDC election fee termed `unjust’, `exorbitant’

DN Report Lahore: Terming the election fee of Rs200,000, fixed by the PMDC (Pakistan Medical Dental Council (PMDC) for doctors willing to contest PMDC Elections 2015  `unjust’ and `exorbotant’, Young Doctors Association (YDA) has demanded of the PMDC election committee to make is reasonable.   The YDA general secretary Dr Salman Kazmi told newsmen that he has also filed an appeal before the PMDC’s election committee with a request to reconsider the election fee and fix it at Rs 500 so that the doctors could contest the elections. In 2013, when the elections were announced, the fee to contest the election was Rs50,000, but it has now been fixed at Rs 200,000, he deplored. The PMDC elections are scheduled to be held on Dec 5. PMDC has announced the elections recently on 18 seats all over Pakistan while 16 seats would be filled by nominations. Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan have been totally ignored and no election has been announced for them as against last time when there were two seats for these two areas. Dr Kazmi said that the condition of 10 years’ experience to contest elections is also not justified, adding that the polling stations have not been made at smaller cities and as such a large number of doctors from periphery would not be able to cast their votes. He also demanded of the PMDC election body to withdraw the condition of 10 years, set up polling booths at smaller cities, include AJK and Gilgit Baltistan in the election process and extend the date of elections to facilitate doctors.