Islamabad, April 20, 2026: The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council convened a preliminary hearing to review the tragic case of a medical student’s suicide, reportedly linked to harassment.
The President of 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 today 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 so that the factual matrix could be clearly established. The President of 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 “OT video leak scandal”. All 05 doctors, including Dr. Tayaba Fatima, Dr. Zainab Tahir, Dr. Muhammad Essa, Dr. Ayesha Afzal and Dr. Maham Amin attended. 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 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/decisions. The Disciplinary committee is scheduled to be held next week.
President PM&DC stated that the Council will ensure that strict actions will be taken against any individual or institution found responsible for negligence, misconduct, or violation of student protection policies.
He added that the Council is also aware of the importance of effective grievance redressal mechanisms within institutions to prevent such incidents and ensuring a safe and supportive learning environment remains a top priority of PM&DC.