Proposal moved in NA panel on health to decentralise medical admissions

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Ministry of Health has proposed that all medical universities in Pakistan independently admit students to their affiliated medical and dental colleges by conducting their own entrance exams.

It has also suggested that the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) confines its role to conducting a National Licensing Exam (NLE), ensuring that only competent medical graduates are allowed to practice medicine and dentistry in the country.

“In my opinion, all the medical universities should be free to admit medical and dental students as per their own criteria, while PMDC should take the NLE to ensure only trained and qualified graduates are allowed to practice medicine, surgery, and dentistry in the country,” said Dr. Malik Mukhtar Ahmed Bharath, Prime Minister’s Coordinator on Health, while addressing a meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Health.

The proposal also recommends allowing universities to register candidates for the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) within their respective provinces, a process currently centralized under the PMDC.

Dr. Bharath emphasized the importance of decentralizing this process to promote provincial autonomy and streamline the admission system.

The health ministry’s proposal follows ongoing discussions on reforming the MDCAT system to address challenges such as out-of-syllabus questions, technical errors, and inconsistencies in the examination process.

At the meeting, chaired by Dr. Mahesh Kumar Malani, the Standing Committee on National Health Services, Regulation, and Coordination criticized PMDC’s current approach to the MDCAT process. It pointed out flaws in the registration software and the exam structure, which resulted in controversies over deleted questions and revised answer keys. To address these issues, the committee proposed revising the MDCAT syllabus, developing a centralized question bank, and decentralizing the exams by allowing provinces to conduct them under PMDC oversight.

One of the vice chancellors attending the meeting suggested mandating juvenile cards for biometric verification to prevent impersonation and conducting the MDCAT only after the declaration of intermediate examination results.

Additionally, the committee urged the PMDC to convene a council meeting to decide whether students appearing in supplementary or improvement exams should be eligible for admission in the current academic year. Concerns were raised about the inclusion of supplementary students in the 2024 MDCAT cycle, which could disadvantage regular candidates. The committee recommended that supplementary students be considered for the next academic year instead, pending a legal review of the matter.

Beyond medical and dental admissions, the committee discussed regulating the psychology profession, noting its growing importance in addressing mental health challenges in Pakistan. It recommended establishing certification standards and legal frameworks to ensure that mental health professionals meet both national and international benchmarks.

Discussions on amendments to nursing and pharmacy regulations were also on the agenda, but deliberations on the “Pakistan Nursing Council (Amendment) Bill, 2024” and the “Pakistan Pharmacy (Amendment) Bill, 2024” were deferred due to the absence of the movers.

The committee’s recommendations prompted the PMDC to form a high-powered subcommittee tasked with developing a national curriculum for MDCAT to ensure uniformity and reduce regional disparities in medical education. The council also resolved to address criticisms regarding the timing and conduct of MDCAT exams to restore credibility and public trust in the process.

The Ministry of National Health Services reiterated the importance of these reforms to ensure a fair, transparent, and equitable system for aspiring medical and dental students across the country. Final decisions on these matters will be made after further consultations with stakeholders and legal experts.

The meeting was attended by Dr. Shazia Sobia Aslam Soomro, Ms. Zahra Wadood Fatemi, Dr. Darshan, and Ms. Shaista Pervaiz, alongside senior officers from the Ministry of NHSR&C and its attached departments.

Dr. Bharath actively participated, presenting proposals for reform and emphasizing the need to modernize the admission and licensing processes in medical education.