ISLAMABAD: A no-objection certificate (NOC) issued by Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) regarding recognition of three medical universities has triggered a debate about its impact on medical education.

Critics believe that the NOC was issued without ensuring facilities in the institutions and would pave the way for recognition of the Rawalpindi Medical University (RMU), Nishtar Medical University and Faisalabad Medical University.

However, PMC claims that it has just issued an NOC and now the Higher Education Commission (HEC) wouldensure that the universities have the required departments, faculty, examination departments etc.

According to documents available with Dawn, the three medical universities were established by the Punjab government as per Act XVI 2017.

`PMC has no objection on granting of degree awarding status to these universities by HEC. It may further be mentioned that constituent colleges of all three universities have been notified by the Punjab government,` states a letter signed by PMC Secretary Dr Arsalan Hayder.

A medical college faculty member requesting not to be quoted said RMU lacked a number of facilities such as proper examination setup and regular controller examinations.

`The university is even without registrar and deputy registrars. There is only an assistant registrar who is assigned to check attendance. The finance department lacks staff. Even there is no proper research centre so we don`t know how it will function as a university. The buildingof the college is too old despite its renovation,` he said.

He said in the past the now dissolved Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) had rejected the application of RMU.

`Currently, all there colleges are affiliated with University of Health Sciences Lahore but soon they would try to hold their own exams without having proper facilities,` he said.

When contacted, Professor Rai Asghar, a representative of RMU, told Dawn that in the past HEC had inspected the institute and issued NOC to the university for one year but it expired because PMDC refused torecogniseit.

`We are the biggest institute in northern areas as we enroll 360 students every year. Three hospitals Benazir Bhutto Hospital, Holy Family and District Headquarter Hospital are attached with us,` he said.

In reply to a question, Prof Asghar said as the RMU was a public sector university it was allocated funds by the HEC.`We cannot hire staff as long as HEC allocates funds so we have given additional charges of dif ferent posts to f aculty members. I am a professor but have also the charge of controller examinations,` he said.

PMC Secretary Dr Hayder said in the past PMDC had raised an objection that the universities lacked constituent medical colleges.

`However, the government of Punjab has notified constituent medical colleges of all the three universities so we have issued the NOC. Now HEC will look into it if universities meet all the requirements or not,` he said.

PMC President Dr Arshad Taqi told Dawn said all the three universities were public sector universities so no one should try to find controversies in them.

`The fact is that the universities were told by HEC that they should get NOC from PMC and as they met our requirementssoNOCwasissued.If HECapproves the universities we will allow them to take exams of students,` he said.