Key Takeaways
- Two postgraduate doctors granted interim relief to continue training and sit for final exams.
- The decision does not affect the disciplinary findings against the doctors.
- The case highlights a distinction between academic pursuit and independent clinical practice.
In a significant ruling, a medical tribunal has allowed two postgraduate doctors, Dr Tayyaba Fatima Toor and Dr Muhammad Essa, to continue their training and appear in their final examinations despite facing a two-year suspension of their medical licences. The decision was made on Tuesday, following a case that attracted considerable attention due to the 'OT video leak scandal' at Lady Willingdon Hospital in Lahore.
The tribunal, headed by retired Justice Safdar Saleem Shahid, granted identical interim relief to the doctors, suspending the operation of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) disciplinary order dated July 28, 2026, but only to the extent necessary to enable them to continue and complete their postgraduate academic and training programmes and appear in their final postgraduate examinations.
The tribunal emphasized that this interim arrangement was provisional and subject to the final outcome of the appeals, and did not amount to an adjudication permitting the doctors to undertake independent clinical practice. The decision aims to preserve the regulatory authority of the PMDC while ensuring that the pendency of an appeal does not cause academic consequences that could become irreversible.
The case highlights a material distinction between permission to pursue an academic programme and appear in an examination, on the one hand, and permission independently to practise medicine under a professional licence, on the other. The tribunal observed that in an appropriate case, the former could be protected provisionally without finally determining the latter.
According to the tribunal, the doctors had already substantially completed their prescribed postgraduate training and cleared the requisite intermediate or mid-term component. Their final postgraduate examinations were stated to be due in approximately four months.
The decision is part of a broader discussion on the balance between professional discipline and the pursuit of education, particularly for doctors who are simultaneously postgraduate trainees. The ruling could have wider implications for similar cases in the future.
The PMDC had previously stated that five doctors, including Dr Tayyaba Fatima Toor, Dr Zainab Tahir, Dr Muhammad Essa, Dr Ayesha Afzal, and Dr Maham Amin, had appeared in preliminary proceedings concerning a video circulating on social media. The council referred the matter to its Disciplinary Committee for final determination, which eventually resulted in the suspension of the medical registration licences of the appellants for two years.
The doctors' applications for interim relief concern only the doctors' appeals against the disciplinary action, rather than the merits of the appeals themselves. The tribunal's decision is seen as a cautious approach that respects the regulatory authority of the PMDC while ensuring academic continuity for the doctors during the appeal process.
