PMDC should comprise doctors, lawyers and journalists: PMA

General Secretary, Pakistan Medical Association, Karachi, Dr Samreena Hashmi has called for restructuring Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC).
Speaking at a press conference at Karachi Press Club here on Monday, she said PMDC, being the prestigious controlling body, needs to be independent and comprise elected professionals from the medical and dental profession, with a minimum ten years experience. "Currently there are 66 members of PMDC's General Council with four elected and 66 nominees," she said.
The PMA General Secretary expressing her reservations about the responsibilities required to be performed by the PMDC said it needs to be independent and represented by lawyers and journalists besides the medical and dental practitioners.
Dr Samreena Hashmi maintained that PMDC since long, due to wide range of lacunae, has not been able to address even major issues as countering quackery, checking mushroom growth of medical colleges, streamlining post-graduate education, training and so-forth.
She also asked for a raise in the budgetary allocation for health sector to minimum six percent of the GDP. "We need to set right the priorities, that is, major attention towards basic public health facilities catering to more than 60 percent of the population instead of tertiary care availed by 15 percent to 20 percent population," she said.
The PMA General Secretary accompanied by other office-bearers of the Association including Dr Habib Soomro, Dr Tariq Aziz and Dr Aziz Khan Tank regretted lack of political will among government authorities to address issues effecting the medical community as well as the masses.
"Non availability of staff at Basic Health Units is mainly due to tendency to shift the responsibility from one to another right from federal, provincial to district governments," said Dr Hashmi. The doctor strongly recommended that there was need to focus on strengthening and improving the existent infrastructure, turning them efficient and functional instead of going for new projects.
She highlighted the plight of post-graduate trainees deprived of proper training opportunities as trainers comprising professors are rarely available at their wards.
Dr Samreena also called for raising the minimum salary of junior doctors serving in private as well as public sector facilities, which was said to be currently as meagre as Rs 5000 to Rs 6000 respectively in comparison to the fee for post-graduate Part-One which is non-refundable Rs 9000.