Thousands of foreign medical graduates have raised urgent concerns after the Pakistan Medical & Dental Council effectively halted provisional registration and instructed hospitals not to induct eligible doctors for their mandatory one-year house job, even though PMDC rules permit graduates from recognised international universities to begin training before attempting the National Registration Examination. The freeze has put many FMG house jobs candidates into immediate uncertainty over their professional futures.
Dr. Rafey Sher, the elected representative of Foreign Medical Graduates in Pakistan, said the current approach undermines established procedures and leaves graduates penalised for administrative indecision. He argued that if the Council needed to evaluate the quality of overseas institutions, that process should have been completed on a country-wise basis before students enrolled, rather than after they returned with legally recognised degrees.
Hundreds of young doctors who completed five to six years of medical education abroad, passed equivalency verification and were previously eligible for provisional registration now face disrupted career paths. Many have already returned to Pakistan and await induction to complete their mandatory training, making the lack of timely action particularly damaging.
Several journalists, parliamentarians and legal analysts have questioned the Council’s inconsistency, noting that no official policy document, circular or formal clarification has been published to explain the sudden halt. Repeated requests from FMG representatives and media outlets for an explanation have gone unanswered, intensifying calls for transparency.
FMGs highlight multiple concrete concerns: there is no official clarification on why they are being denied house jobs despite legal provision; graduates who returned before any policy changes lack transitional protection; there was no country-wise pre-assessment of foreign universities, resulting in post-graduation penalisation; and communication from PMDC has been opaque and inconsistent.
Representatives are urging immediate action from the Council, including a public clarification on eligibility for FMG house jobs under existing law, transitional protection for graduates already in Pakistan with recognised degrees, transparent country-wise evaluation of overseas medical schools going forward and restoration of provisional registration for eligible candidates until any new regulations are formally announced.
With thousands of young doctors unable to begin mandatory training, FMGs stress that inclusion is not a privilege but a legal right and a national necessity, and they call on the PMDC to resolve the uncertainty promptly to protect both graduates and the wider healthcare system.
News link: https://www.peakpoint.pk/en/2025/10/29/foreign-medical-graduates-demand-pmdc-clarity-house-jobs/
