Medical tribunal disposes of 20 appeals in four months in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: Since the medical tribunal completed its constitutional bench with the appointment of technical members in November 2025, it has decided 20 appeals out of 46 cases that had remained pending over the previous two years, according to tribunal member (technical) Dr Minhajus Siraj.

Speaking with Dawn, Dr Siraj told that the tribunal is set to entertain 32 new appeals and complaints in the coming weeks.

In one of its recent decisions, the tribunal ruled on an appeal filed by a private medical practitioner against disciplinary action taken by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) over misrepresentation through the display of unverified professional qualifications.

According to a detailed judgement authored by retired Justice Safdar Saleem Shahid, chairman of the medical tribunal, the tribunal upheld the finding that the practitioner had misrepresented himself by displaying higher professional degrees and qualifications on prescription pads and clinic promotional material that he did not actually possess.

Complaint originated from citizen portal

The case began with a complaint submitted through the Prime Minister’s Citizen Portal on March 9, 2022. The complaint alleged that the practitioner had displayed fake academic credentials at his clinic.

After receiving the complaint, the then Pakistan Medical Commission initiated proceedings and issued a show-cause notice under Section 29 of the PMC Act, 2020, read with the Code of Ethics of Practice for Medical and Dental Practitioners, 2011.

Following a hearing process, the disciplinary committee concluded that the allegations had been established. It imposed a fine of Rs500,000 and warned the practitioner not to present himself as a specialist in the future.

The practitioner challenged that decision before the medical tribunal, arguing that he held the qualifications shown on his prescription pads and clinic publicity material. However, during the proceedings, counsel for the appellant conceded that the higher professional qualifications displayed were not actually possessed by his client.

Tribunal reduces fine but upholds misconduct finding

After reviewing the record and hearing submissions from both sides, the tribunal unanimously held that the charge of misrepresentation had been proved.

At the same time, the tribunal noted that no patient or member of the public had brought forward any complaint of medical negligence or professional misconduct, and that the proceedings had arisen solely from information received through the citizen complaint mechanism.

In light of those circumstances, the tribunal maintained the finding of misconduct but took what it described as a lenient view. It modified the penalty and reduced the fine from Rs500,000 to Rs300,000, to be paid to PMDC within 30 days of the announcement of the judgement.

The tribunal also directed the practitioner to correct all forms of professional representation, including prescription pads, clinic flyers, online profiles and advertisements, so that only qualifications registered with PMDC and reflected on his licence are displayed.

To ensure implementation of the order by the regulator, the tribunal directed the district office of the Punjab Healthcare Commission to revisit the healthcare establishment every six months and report any violations amounting to professional misconduct to the relevant regulatory authorities for appropriate action.

The tribunal further observed that truthful disclosure of professional credentials was a basic obligation of medical practitioners and necessary for protecting public trust and preserving the integrity of the healthcare system.