Dr Asim clarifies his tenure as PMDC president

By Nasir Mahmood
KARACHI: “There is no Supreme Court order that 50 percent of the beds in private hospitals should be free of charges.”
Dr Asim Hussain disclosed this while commenting on a news item appeared yesterday in a daily English newspaper with reference to his tenure as Pakistan Medical and Dental Council president.
Dr Asim, the chairman Dr Ziauddin Group of Hospitals, replying to a query from the National Courier stated that the PMDC has nothing to do with the false corruption charges in which he has been implicated for political reasons.
“This is just to malign me or to give the story a twist. However, the story is devoid of facts.”
Dr Asim said that he remained the PMDC president for less than two months i.e. from June to August 2013. In fact Mr. Ismail Fazal (an accounts officer) was reinstated during his tenure. Ismail was terminated by previous president Dr Sibtul Hassan, and he was given full support during Dr Asim’s tenure.
Whatever is now happening in PMDC is a known fact. It is another classic example of a failed institution without going into detail or merits.
The ministry or rules & regulation council wants to control all autonomous bodies in a dictatorial fashion, he added.
It may be mentioned here that Dr Asim’s skills as administrator and as medical entrepreneur need not to be elaborated. From, CME program and postgraduate teaching, closure of the colleges without hospitals to link down of minimum standard of hospitals, reducing strength of the members of private colleges, were all driven by him.
Right now, the Council is functioning illegally under the nose of the ministry. This is for the judiciary to judge it on the merits.