ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) officials and owners of private medical colleges in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) are facing a National Accountability Bureau (NAB) inquiry initiated on alleged corrupt practices that occurred during admissions of the candidates.
The NAB KP chapter has written a letter to the PMC in the federal capital regarding the initiation of an inquiry against PMC officials and owners of the private medical and dental colleges in the province of allegedly being involved in corrupt practices.
The letter issued to the registrar PMC available with The Nation referred to the authorisation of inquiry against officers/officials of Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC), owners and managers of private medical and dental colleges in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and others regarding corruption and corrupt practices and misuse of authority and cheating public at large.
The letter said, “The National Accountability Bureau, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Peshawar has initiated the subject inquiry against the officers/officials of Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC), owners and managers of private medical and dental colleges in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and others regarding corruption and corrupt practices through misuse of authority and cheating public at large etc in admissions of candidates and students in violation of merit, collection of abnormal fee and donations etc, under the provisions of National Accountability Ordinance, 1999 and schedule thereto”.
According to the inquiry report, Muhammad College of Medicine (MCM) Peshawar, Frontier Medical College Abbottabad, International Medical and Dental College Abbottabad, Women Medical & Dental College Abbottabad, Rehman Medical and Dental College Peshawar have used discretion of 20% marks earmarked for interviews to low aggregate candidates and have caused pick and choose of students at their whims and wishes just for illegal monetary gains.
The fee structure of the private medical and dental colleges was found inflated which needed the immediate intervention of PMC as a regulator and the same be reviewed by allowing reasonable profit to the colleges instead of grabbing money from innocent students. The fee structure of these private colleges as pieces of evidence collected revealed that some colleges earned profit up to 44% per annum and same should be ranging from 15% to 20% keeping in view the facilities to the students by each college.
All bank accounts of the colleges were handled by the owners, therefore only the chief executives of the colleges were actively involved in the admission process just for the lust of illegal monetary gains and created pick and choose to promote favouritism instead of meritocracy.
The admission committees of these above mention colleges did not conduct structured interviews and focused on the financial health of the candidates due to which numerous candidates complained that no merit list was displayed by the private medical dental colleges for their information and most students were enrolled on first come first serve basis instead of merit.
The inquiry report concluded that all admissions awarded on the basis of 20% interview marks allowed by PMC may be immediately rescinded through PMC and national merit list aggregate score is processed for admission in all private medical dental colleges without discretion on the analogy of public sector colleges to promote transparency in the public interest.
Vice President (VP) PMC Ali Raza told The Nation that no PMC officials had been alleged to be involved in corrupt practices. He said that the NAB report was submitted before the court to which we would be responsible for at the next hearing.
“It’s not an investigation report. It has many errors and patent misreading of the law. PMC has taken the action it is mandated to take against the colleges viz irregular admissions,” he said.
-DN Report
