Commercialisation of medical education

THERE was a golden era in the history of medical education — soon after the inception of Pakistan — when admissions were made only on merit and luckily copy culture was not introduced in the country. Talented students from poor and middle-of-the-road families were used to be selected. The discipline and standard of medical education were admirable. The students were distinctive in knowledge and personality.

Service to medical graduates from Pakistan were offered directly not only from the Middle East and the Fareast countries but also from the UK where Pakistani graduates were offered jobs through employment vouchers on their Pakistani graduation certificates.

Gradually, negative changes started getting established. Political admissions, copy culture started booming up. Hundreds of students got admission to medical colleges on political chits and, on the other hand, shortage of teaching staff because of lack of political will and planning took place. As a result, the standard of education grossly deteriorated.

Then came the era of political interference through different political groups to an extent that monthly ‘bhatta’ (extortion) was received in the millions from the respective principles who used to adjust this amount against miscellaneous fake bills of workshops where dozens of college buses were repaired and maintained.

This political influence was not only responsible for getting admissions to many of the non meritorious students of feudals, industrialists and other elite classes but also gave an uncheckable chance to principles of medical colleges who also admitted dozens of students on a financial and non financial basis in their own interest.

Another setback came from the policy of admission on open merit without gender discrimination or allocating women’s seats. As a result, most of the seats of open merit were fetched by girl students, 90 per cent of which abandoned the profession after marriage.

The seats for woment students must have been allocated according to community needs and keeping in view the natural characteristics and ground realities. If open merit without gender differentiation was so justifiable, then why not this formula is applied to forces where half of the strength should have gone to female gender. The biggest setback to medical education was implicated by the so called self-finance scheme and private medical colleges, where non deserving students of the elite class are admitted on payment of millions of rupees, on the seats upon which meritorious students of poor class should have come.

Lastly, one devastating idea of evening classes on a finance basis was floated by the government itself. However, the idea was withdrawn by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council after it was criticised by the Pakistan Medical Association all over Pakistan.

DR FATEH M. KHAN
Former Director-General
Health Services, Sindh
Hyderabad

Posted in: commercial,doctor,education,medical,middle east,pakistan