The Azad Kashmir High Court has ordered the closure of substandard paramedical institutions.
The Azad Jammu and Kashmir High Court, while deciding writ petitions filed regarding private educational institutions of paramedical and allied health sciences, has directed the Government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and the Department of Public Health to ensure complete and effective implementation of their policy.
The court dismissed the writ petition filed by private institutions against the Health Department. The case was heard by High Court Judge Justice Sardar Muhammad Ijaz Khan.
In his detailed verdict, Justice Muhammad Ijaz Khan said that paramedical and allied health sciences educational institutions that do not meet the prescribed standards, rules, regulations, and legal requirements must be closed, as no compromise can be made when it comes to human lives.
The verdict stated that substandard or unauthorized institutions cannot be allowed to train individuals in the health sector, as this directly affects public lives.
The court directed the Health Department of Azad Jammu and Kashmir to conduct a comprehensive inspection of all public and private paramedical institutions established across Azad Kashmir under the 2019 policy.
The verdict said that immediate and strict legal action should be taken against institutions operating illegally, and a compliance report should be submitted to the Registrar of the High Court within three months.
In one writ petition, the petitioners stated that certain private paramedical institutions are offering various medical and pharmaceutical courses, including lab technician, radiology, dental, operation theater, pharmacy, emergency medicine, and other diploma and degree programs.
These institutions claim affiliation with various educational boards and universities, but according to the petitioners, they have failed to meet the prescribed standards and conditions of the Punjab Medical Faculty, Pharmacy Council of Pakistan, and other relevant bodies.
The petitioners said that the memorandums of understanding signed by these institutions with hospitals were done without the approval of the Secretary Health, which is against policy. Additionally, many institutions admitted more students than the approved number of seats, which is clearly illegal.
They also argued that the Government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir or the Health Department had not formulated any clear mechanism for the registration and monitoring of paramedical institutions, due to which untrained individuals are playing with the lives of the public.
The petitioners requested the court to direct the government to formulate a clear policy and mechanism or otherwise close these institutions.
Meanwhile, in another writ petition, the administrators of private educational institutions requested that the actions initiated against them by the Health Department of Azad Jammu and Kashmir be declared null and void. They demanded that action against their institutions be stopped and the MOUs signed with hospitals be restored.
In its verdict, the court clarified that the Government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir had already enforced a comprehensive policy on March 28, 2019, regarding the registration and regulation of paramedical and allied health sciences institutions, which clearly defines educational standards, monitoring, and legal action procedures.
The court ruled that no institution can be allowed to admit students or issue diplomas and certificates without meeting the prescribed standards and regulations of the Punjab Medical Faculty, Pharmacy Council of Pakistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Medical Faculty, or relevant universities.
