Health is a Provincial subject. Federal ministry is unconstitutional?

ISLAMABAD: The opposition senators have questioned the constitutional status of establishing the Federal ministries for Health and Education, which are both provincial subjects now. Senator Raza Rabbani told the House that; Both Health and Education ministries have been devolved to a provincial level and there is no justification for establishment of these two ministries at the federal level, in different names. "Both these ministers are unconstitutional," he said.

PML-N's Senator Jafar Iqbal was of the view that; Yes! both these are devolved ministries but they are required to bring structural uniformity across the country. He said there are several international agreements and programmes in the education and health sectors, where the donors want to contact the federal government instead of provinces, separately. Raja Zafarul Haq pleaded that this matter be resolved once and for all. The Senate chairman referred this matter to the relevant parliamentary committee.

On the occasion, State Minister for Health and Regulations Saira Afzal Tarar told the Upper House that several irregularities were observed in the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) during the last five years. "Such irregularities result in mushroom growth of medical and dental colleges across the country," she said. In order to check these irregularities, the minister said a proper enquiry has been ordered, saying that it will be completed soon.