PM&DC holds preliminary hearings on suicide cases

The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PM&DC) on Monday conducted a preliminary hearing to review the tragic case of a medical student’s suicide, reportedly linked to harassment

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Apr, 2026) The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PM&DC) on Monday conducted a preliminary hearing to review the tragic case of a medical student’s suicide, reportedly linked to harassment.

The President PM&DC, Prof. Dr. Rizwan Taj, along with Registrar, Dr. Rehan Naqvi, expressed sorrow over the incidents and emphasized a zero-tolerance policy towards harassment and any negligence in medical and dental institutions.

Three preliminary hearings were convened to ensure a fair and informed assessment of the matters at hand before any formal disciplinary proceedings were initiated.

Relevant stakeholders, including representatives of the concerned institution, were called to present their accounts to clearly establish factual matrix.

The President PM&DC carefully reviewed the initial findings and sought clarifications from the concerned representatives to verify key facts and to assess the sufficiency of evidence.

This process was undertaken to determine whether the cases were ready for referral to the disciplinary committee for further adjudication.

The first hearing was of the doctors with "Operation theater video leak scandal". All five doctors, including Dr. Tayaba Fatima, Dr. Zainab Tahir, Dr. Muhammad Essa, Dr. Ayesha Afzal and Dr. Maham Amin attended the hearing.

The incident involved the circulation of an inappropriate video on social media by the PG trainees of Lady Wellington Hospital, Lahore, showing a race amongst doctors performing surgeries on two tables and making callous comments.

Second hearing was on the sad incident of suicide by a final year Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) student Ms. Fareeha at Fatima Jinnah Medical College, Lahore. The principal of the College appeared and explained the facts.

The third hearing was on the sad incident of suicide by Ms. Fehmida Leghari, 3rd year MBBS of student of Muhammad Medical College, Mirpurkhas.

The principal of the college appeared and explained the facts.

After the preliminary hearings, President PM&DC forwarded the cases to the PM&DC Disciplinary Committee for final determination and decisions.

The disciplinary committee would be scheduled next week.

President PM&DC stated that the Council would ensure that strict actions would be taken against any individual or institution found responsible for negligence, misconduct, or violation of student protection policies.

He added that the Council was also aware of the importance of effective grievance redressal mechanisms within institutions to prevent such incidents and ensuring a safe and supportive learning environment remained a top priority of PM&DC.