These directions were passed by the Sub-Committee on National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination which met here under the convenorship of Senator Dr Ashok Kumar on Monday. The meeting was called to probe the issues of registration of doctors with the PMDC, fake medical practitioners as well as the production and sale of substandard medical products.
While discussing the issue of expired registration of medical practitioners, the panel was informed by the officials that there are 75,000 doctors in Pakistan with expired registrations. The committee expressed serious reservations and dismay over such huge number of unregistered doctors and said that in order to improve the system, it is imperative that all doctors must be registered and their degrees be investigated.
Senator Dr Asad Ashraf recommended that letters must be sent out to all the doctors to remind them of their registration. He stressed the need for the PMDC to take responsibility for this. He also suggested the PMDC to send text messages to all doctors enrolled with the PMDC with expired registration.
On the suggestion of Senator Dr Asad Ashraf, the convenor committee directed the PMDC to write letters to all chief secretaries of all provinces in this regard. He also instructed the PMDC to advertise in all national dailies urging doctors to renew their registrations within 15 days. Thereafter a report must be submitted to the committee, the committee directed.
Senator Kulsoom Parveen stressed the need to ensure that all aspects of healthcare are regulated in the country. She said that it is extremely important that the issue of production of spurious medicines be investigated thoroughly to protect precious lives in Pakistan.
The committee directed to cancel the past registration of those unregistered doctors who had failed to get themselves registered with the PMDC. The committee warned the private hospitals to ensure renewal of registration of their doctors; otherwise, any such hospital will be sealed.
The committee also recommended imposing a fine on those medical practitioners who failed to get themselves registered with the PMDC. The body also sought details of doctors posted on deputation. While discussing the issue of substandard drugs, the committee was of the view that it is an important issue and must be dealt with harshly, as numerous precious lives are at stake due to this.
The committee observed that the DRAP has no mechanism to monitor the drugs manufacturing companies. The panel hailed the role of media in highlighting problems of health sector, saying it is playing an effective role to identify the problems.
The committee was informed that out of 889 factories, 647 are functional, adding that there are only 22 officers to monitor them. The committee was of the view that in order to ensure quality of medication in Pakistan, it is imperative that the DRAP establishes more labs all over Pakistan to check production of substandard medication. Non-functionality of the lab in Islamabad was strongly criticised.
Dr Ashok claimed that as many as 60 unregistered doctors have been working in the federal capital, adding that the PMDC could not properly manage the issue of registration of doctors and even failed to do its work efficiently in this regard.
He said that the PMDC is unaware of degrees of doctors who have been practicing since long without registration. He said that many unregistered doctors are working in public or private hospitals but the PMDC and hospitals concerned have failed to take any action against them.
The committee directed that standard operating procedures (SOPs) are to be developed to improve the DRAP's performance. The meeting was attended by Senator Dr Asad Ashraf, Senator Sardar Muhammad Shafiq Tareen, Senator Kulsoom Parveen and senior officers of the National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination, PMDC as well as the DRAP.
