LAHORE: The Supreme Court on Pakistan ordered to suspend vice chancellor of Faisalabad Medical University and also summoned son of Punjab Governor Rafiq Rajwana for offering admission to a woman lawyer in a private college on condition of not agitating the matter before the court.
Bench comprising Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar and Justice Ijazul Ahsan issued the directions while hearing a suo motu case against inflated fee structure of the medical institutions.
During the proceedings on Wednesday, a lady lawyer informed that vice chancellor of Faisalabad Medical University Prof Dr Farid Zafar and son of Governor Rajwana had been making her phone calls and texting to offer admission for a student in her acquaintance if she refrained from discussing the issue before the court.
Bench ordered for the immediate appearance of Asif Rajwana son of Punjab governor and also arrest of the university vice chancellor, Prof Dr Farid Zafar, who was present before the court.
Later, bench restrained the police personnel from arresting the VC and asked him angrily, `Did you call her, why did you call her.’
Bench issued a contempt of court notice to Dr Zafar and also restrained him from functioning as vice chancellor till further order.
As the governor’s son did not appear till rising of the court and direction was issued for his personal appearance on Thursday (today).
Bench expressed surprise and shock that private colleges and universities had been conducting admissions on their own merits instead of a centralized programme. Bench expressed concern when an official of Fatima Memorial Medical College disclosed that it charged around Rs900,000 per year for MBBS.
Bench regretted the poor facilities for students at some of the private colleges. Bench inquired from representative of a private medical college affiliated to three different teaching hospitals, `Do you take students to the hospitals on buses.’
Bench remarked that in past the colleges and teaching hospitals used to be on one place so that the students could study and learn simultaneously at one place.
Bench also observed that a day earlier the court informed told that Rs642,000 per year had been fixed by the Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PMDC) for MBBS but the colleges had been collecting excessive fee from students. Bench remarked that it would be a clear dishonesty if this court did not bring the lost things back to the people.
Bench observed that the court wanted to implement quality medical education in the country and directed the Lahore high court registrar to transfer all litigation about the PMDC to the Supreme Court.
Published in Daily Times, December 28th 2017.
