The Senate Sub-Committee on National Health, formed based on a working paper furnished by the Pakistan Nursing Council regarding the list of colleges affiliated with it, revealed that 90 percent of colleges in Sindh province are ghost colleges with no direct affiliations with hospitals for clinical practice.
The Senate Sub-Committee on National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination was convened by Senator Rubina Khalid at the Parliament House to discuss the issue of fake institutions registered with the Pakistan Nursing Council, their affiliations with hospitals, and the issuance of fake degrees/certificates to nurses.
The sub-committee expressed dissatisfaction with the slow progress of the matter and inquired about the reasons for the delay. “The matter has been pending for a year now,” remarked the chair, adding, “This demonstrates the power of the PNC, which seems to be even greater than that of the Prime Minister,” she further stated.
She pointed out that this is evident from the PMC’s failure to implement the directions of the Senate committee as well as the National Assembly committee regarding the repatriation of Mrs. Yasmeen Azad, Assistant Registrar of the Pakistan Nursing Council. “The current state of the PNC is riddled with issues,” she said, expressing hope that the new council will play an active and authoritative role in improving the PNC setup.
The secretary informed the committee that the formation of the new council will lead to changes in the roles of the registrar and other personnel on deputation.
The Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Health informed the committee that a new Nursing Council has been established, which will function as a governing body. Its first meeting is scheduled for tomorrow.
He stated that once the new council becomes operational, it will promptly address the issue of fake degrees and colleges, as well as the repatriation orders. The sub-committee decided that the next meeting would invite the president of the new council and a representative from the Ministry, immediately after the council’s first internal meeting.
In its briefing to the sub-committee, the PN&MC stated that the Council does not recognize any ghost or fake nursing institutes, and strong legal actions are being taken against such institutes. The committee inquired about the number and list of colleges that have been closed so far, to which the PN&MC registrar remained silent.
The sub-committee also directed the PNC to provide an inquiry report, if any, conducted since its establishment on the monitoring of ghost colleges and whether any of them have been closed by the Council, in the next meeting.
The committee also questioned a point mentioned in the briefing that no other department, whether government or private, except the PN&MC, can regulate or conduct nursing diplomas/degrees/courses/programs offered by registered nursing institutes/colleges in the country. “What kind of system is this?” Senator Rubina Khalid exclaimed, asking whether the PN&MC has no monitoring authority. She directed the Ministry to provide a briefing on the amendments in the PNC (Amendment) Act, 2023.
The matter was postponed for further deliberation and reporting.
In the meeting, Senator Prof Dr Mehr Taj Roghani, Senator Jam Mehtab Hussain Dahar, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Health, and other representatives from the Ministry and PNC participated.
its a very huge number 90% means all doctors who has degree from sindh are fake.