PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is concerned about non-recognition of Nowshera Medical College despite recommendation by Pakistan Medical and Dental Council, accordingtosources.

The college, which had admitted 100 students last year on the directives of Peshawar High Court, is preparing to induct as many students this year but it is yet to be given recognition by Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (MNHSRC).

Prior to formation of PML-N government at the centre, the PMDC, regulator of medical education in the country, used to issue notification regarding recognition of new medical colleges but now the federal government has taken the same authority.

Sourcessaidthatprovincialgovernment felt that federal secretaryhealthatthebehestofcentral government was depriving peopleof the province, ruled by PTI, of the medical education.

`On Monday, Chief Minister Pervez Khattak tried to contact federal health minister through telephone to convey his reservations over delay in recognition of NMC but she wasn`t available, senior officials told Dawn.

They said that PMDC had sent an inspection team to the college in November last year that examined the infrastructure and asked the relevant officials to fulfil some other requirements, which they did. Another inspection was carried out in February and as a result of which PMDC executive council approved recognition of the college on March 2.

They said that in February, senior officials of MNHSRC held a meeting with KP chief minister wherein they had assured him that federal government wanted to make NMC a model college but the delay continued. `Since then, the college is awaiting recognition. This has caused worries among the students and their parents,` said officials.

Sourcessaidthatprovincialgovernment also wanted the ministry to accord recognition to Gaju Khan Medical College (GKMC), Swabi because PMDC already recommended that it fulfilled the desired facilities.

They said that PMDC sent a let-ter to the ministry in March to issue the said notiñcation, saying the collegefulñlled theprescribed criteria including affiliated hospital, laboratories and prescribed infrastructure,but tono avail.

Prof Mohammad Tahir, the principal of the college, confirmed that provincial government was concerned about the delay and said that they had completed all the facilities in line with the PMDC`s guidelines.

`We have got a state-of-the-art hospital affiliated with the college with 16 specialties where patients are being examined,` he said.

Sources said that not only GKMC and NMC but KP-based private institutions like Rehman Medical College and North-West were awaiting recognition despite fulfillment of the required formalities. They said that Kohat Medical College faced three-year delay in recognition by the federal government till it was allowed by the court.

`This uncertain situation has caused worries among the students about their future,` said sources. They added that students fared that the issue was politicised because the PML-N government at the centre was reluctant to recognise a college in a province ruled by PTL Meanwhile, Dr Qaisar Sajjad, general secretary of PakistanMedical Association, told Dawn that federal government`s recommendation to register 20 more medical colleges was a setback to medical education.

`Allegedly all these to be medical colleges belong to highly influential and well-connected individuals and the prime purpose of establishing these colleges has nothing to do with medical education but to mint money in the easiest possible way,` he said.

Dr Qaisar said that were 101 medical and 43 dental colleges in the country and more of those were private but as far as teaching and training facilities were concerned, with the exception of few, all lacked the basic requirements according to guidelines of PMDC.

`Have we 144 professors of basic medical sciences and 500bed 144 hospitals with training facilities across the country? PMA believes that instead of recognising more substandard institutions, PMDC shouldn`t allow any new medical college to be established but at the same time deal firmly with all those medical colleges, which do not fulfil the standards of PMDC,` he said.

Dr Qaisar said that it was the responsibility of PMDC to register and monitor the recognised medical colleges. `This nation can`t afford any leniency in this regard anymore,` he added.