Medical education

Source: The News

Date:  November 12, 2010

When the prime minister recently declared the nationalization of educational institutions in the 1970s by the first PPP government a mistake, besides left-oriented civil and political groups, some of the party's old guard, supporters and workers also rejected his statement. In Lahore, they took out a rally to criticize him and announced that this was his personal view. 

Here you have a political party whose workers believe in social democracy and most economic managers it employs are neo-liberal. The biggest challenge today for the ruling party is to be able to create a coherent vision and draw out defined policies in all spheres of national life. 

Due to state failure and a total subscription to policies of deregulation and privatization over the last two decades, notwithstanding which military or civilian regime was in power, private educational institutions today have a much bigger role and stake at all levels. 

At the higher level, with some considerable exceptions like the Aga Khan University and Lahore University of Management Sciences, the barons of the higher education industry are no less than sugar barons. Except that their unbridled pursuit for profit and the subsequent damage caused to a common citizen is not reflected in the daily fluctuating retail prices. The quality of infrastructure, teaching and training in many of the higher and tertiary level private institutions is producing graduates and professionals of exceptionally low worth. 

It seems the state has not only given up on its primary responsibility of provision of basic services but is also not interested in regulation and quality assurance in favor of people in general and marginalized in particular. But how would they regulate if regulatory bodies are either taken over by the rich and powerful themselves or they are bribed or coerced into favoring elite commercial interests.

 One such glaring example is private medical education in the country. You could see the deterioration of both skill and values among the practitioners of this noble profession already but envisioning the state of healthcare system and those running it a few years from now is even more dreadful. It is about people's lives but those at the helm of affairs in the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) are least bothered. 

View the link: http://www.thenews.com.pk/12-11-2010/opinion/15221.htm