ISLAMABAD: A presidential ordinance will soon be promulgated for the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) and elections will be held in the council so an elected body can runs its affairs, Minister of National Health Services (NHS) Aamer Mehmood Kiani told a delegation of the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA).

The council is being run via ad-hoc basis the last 10 months. It was one of the most active regulatory bodies in the health sector and remained in the headlines due to itsclaims of streamlining the issues of private medical colleges, hospitals affiliated with colleges and taking steps for student welfare.

It was severely criticised by private medical colleges in the past as it used to push them to decrease fee, make them stop taking donations and directed colleges to ensure the availability of equipment in hospitals.

However, on Jan 12, the council was dissolved by the Supreme Court (SC) and a nine-member ad-hoc committee chaired by former SC justice Mian Shakirullah Jan was formed to run its af f airs.

Since then, the new management of the council has hardly informed the media about any of its decisions.

PMA Secretary General Dr Qaisar Sajjad told Dawn that during last week`s meeting, Mr Kiani was told that the health community has concerns over the council and it was proposed that the regulatory body be made autonomous.

`The minister told us that the PMDC Ordinance is in its final stages and that it will be promulgated soon. We also had a meeting with President Dr Arif Alvi and healso told us the ordinance will be promulgated,` he said.

`We requested the minister that elections to the council should be held but he was not aware if they had already been held or not. However, af ter confirming, he assured us that the elections will be held soon so that the elected body can run the council,` he said.

Dr Sajjad said that PMA President Dr Mohammad Ashraf Nizami, Dr Azhar Khan Jadoon, Dr Izhar Ahmed Chaudhry, Dr Ajmal H assan Naqvi and Dr Mian Rasheed were also part of the delegation that called on the NHS minister.

`Issues with the health delivery system were discussed at large and the PMA requested that the PMDC be made an independent, autonomous and transparent body,` he said.

Dr Sajjad added that the minister had said health insurance cards would soon be launched across the country to help the poor people and that he also agreed to include a representative of PMA in the federal task force for health.