NA Committee questions PMDC licensing, high fees and MDCAT
Nadeem Tanoli
ISLAMABAD : The National Assembly Standing Committee on National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination has raised serious concerns regarding the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council’s (PMDC) policies on provisional licensing, high medical college fees, and the upcoming MDCAT exam.
The meeting saw robust debates from lawmakers, with significant discussions focused on the treatment of foreign medical graduates, and the challenges posed by floods ahead of the MDCAT exam.The session began with a strong objection from the Member Committee who opposed the idea of granting provisional licenses to foreign graduates.
She argued that issuing provisional licenses without exams was unprecedented and unfair. “Provisional licensing should not be allowed. Students must take the National Licensing Examination (NLE) before receiving a permanent license,” she insisted.
The Minister for Health clarified the government’s position, agreeing that provisional licenses without exams were unacceptable. He stated that students would be allowed to take the NLE with three attempts. If they failed after three attempts, they would not be eligible for further examination.
The PMDC President confirmed the decision and explained that the universities involved were not recognized under the current PMDC law but had been previously listed under the older PMC system. He assured the committee that the students would be allowed to sit for the NLE, with the first exam scheduled for November.
In addition, Members Committee raised concerns over the high fees charged by private medical colleges, noting that students were burdened with up to 30 lakh rupees in fees. They accused the PMDC of creating a “business” out of education, further criticizing the council’s perceived monopoly and negative reputation.
The committee also revisited the issue of pending staff promotions within the PMDC. Dr. Shazia Sobia requested an update on the promotion cases that were sent to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for clearance. The PMDC President confirmed that the matter was under review and would be addressed in the upcoming Departmental Promotion Committee meeting.The committee also addressed concerns about the MDCAT exam, scheduled for October 25.
Several members argued that the exam should be postponed due to severe flooding that had affected students across the country, especially in Punjab. However, the Minister for Health and PMDC officials rejected the postponement, citing the logistical and financial challenges of rescheduling.
The committee agreed to proceed with the current date but decided to revisit the situation if conditions worsened.The meeting concluded with a proposal by the PMDC President to monitor the flood situation before making a final decision on the exam date. The committee accepted this proposal, with members agreeing that if necessary, the date could be reviewed.
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