Medical tribunal grants relief to 2 suspended medics

Islamabad's medical tribunal recently made two significant interim orders, striking a balance between professional discipline and the pursuit of education. Two postgraduate doctors, Dr Tayyaba Fatima Toor and Dr Muhammad Essa, faced a two-year suspension of their medical licences but were granted permission to continue postgraduate training and appear in their upcoming final examinations.

This decision was made by the tribunal, headed by retired Justice Safdar Saleem Shahid, while their appeals against disciplinary action were still pending. The tribunal emphasized that this interim arrangement was provisional, subject to the final outcome of the appeals, and did not restore an unrestricted licence to practice medicine.

The two doctors were among five trainees involved in recording an "educational video" during surgery at Lady Willingdon Hospital, sparking the "OT video leak scandal." The PMDC had referred the matter to its Disciplinary Committee, which eventually resulted in the suspension of their medical registration licences. The tribunal's reasoning focused on a material distinction between permission to pursue an academic programme and appear in an examination, and permission to independently practise medicine under a professional licence.

The doctors had already completed most of their prescribed postgraduate training and scheduled their final examinations within four months. If they had been prevented from completing their academic component and missing the examinations, their academic opportunities might have been irreversibly lost.