ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has warned degree awarding institutions against offering unrecognised postgraduate programmes.

The council also warned doctors not to take admissions to such institutions otherwise their degrees would not be registered. PMDC President Professor Dr Shabir Lehri said the council had advised doctors that before taking admission in postgraduate medical and dental programmes they should ascertain if the courses or diplomas were recognised.

A number of medical and dental colleges have been offering postgraduate courses without being mandated to offer them.

“It is in the interest of students to confirm whether colleges, which offer courses or where they are going to get admission, are recognised or not. All the information about the institutions and courses they offer is available on the website of the council,” he said.

Advertising any unrecognised course is a clear violation of law and the head of the institution can face an imprisonment from one to five years and a fine from Rs5 million to Rs10 million, he said.

Institutions offering unrecognised courses can be closed and even their recognised courses can be banned, he added. — A Reporter