Medical Tribunal Allows 2 Suspended Doctors to Continue Training
ISLAMABAD: A medical tribunal has granted interim relief to two postgraduate doctors facing a two-year suspension of their medical licences, allowing them to continue their postgraduate training and appear in upcoming final examinations.
The three-member tribunal, headed by retired Justice Safdar Saleem Shahid, issued similar interim orders in the cases of Dr Tayyaba Fatima Toor and Dr Muhammad Essa.
The tribunal suspended the implementation of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council’s (PMDC) July 28, 2026 disciplinary order only to the extent required for the two doctors to complete their academic and training programmes and sit for their final postgraduate examinations.
However, the tribunal did not overturn the disciplinary findings or restore their unrestricted licences to practise medicine. It clarified that the relief was temporary and would remain subject to the final decision on their appeals.
Doctors Were Part of Five-Member Case
The two doctors were among five postgraduate trainees whose cases came under scrutiny after a video recorded during a surgical procedure at Lahore’s Lady Willingdon Hospital circulated on social media.
The PMDC had earlier said that Dr Tayyaba Fatima Toor, Dr Zainab Tahir, Dr Muhammad Essa, Dr Ayesha Afzal and Dr Maham Amin appeared in preliminary proceedings related to the video.
The matter was subsequently referred to the PMDC’s Disciplinary Committee, which eventually imposed a two-year suspension on the medical registration licences of the appellants.
The disciplinary decision has now been challenged before the Medical Tribunal.
Academic Training Distinguished From Independent Practice
While granting interim relief, the tribunal made a distinction between continuing an academic programme and independently practising medicine under a professional licence.
The tribunal noted that, in suitable circumstances, a doctor could be allowed to continue postgraduate education and appear in examinations without being given unrestricted permission to practise independently.
According to the orders, the doctors had substantially completed their required postgraduate training and had also cleared the relevant intermediate or mid-term component. Their final examinations are expected to be held in around four months.
The tribunal observed that preventing the doctors from completing their remaining academic requirements could result in the loss of an educational opportunity that might be difficult to restore later, even if their appeals ultimately succeeded.
At the same time, the tribunal stressed that allowing them to continue their academic programmes and sit for examinations would not determine the validity of the disciplinary action or give them an unconditional right to practise medicine.
The appeals against the disciplinary action will now proceed before the Medical Tribunal, which will make a final determination on the cases.
