Regulator to reassess medical, dental colleges fee structure

Islamabad:The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council has decided to review tuition fees for private medical and dental colleges over public complaints about the rising educational costs.

According to a spokesperson, the PMDC has taken a proactive approach by proposing a structured fee schedule to ensure transparency and fairness in the medical and dental education sector.

“We aim to prevent excessive tuition charges while maintaining high educational standards in private educational institutions nationwide,” she said, promising to ensure that quality medical and dental education remains accessible to aspiring students.

The spokesperson said the fee regulation was a crucial step toward balancing affordability with sustainability in private medical education. She said that an urgent Council meeting had been called to discuss a “fair and standardised fee policy” with stakeholders such as representatives from private medical and dental colleges, education experts and government officials.

The PMDC spokesperson said that her organisation was dedicated to promoting equitable access to medical education in the country while upholding academic excellence. Earlier, in compliance with directives of the Senate’s standing committee on national health services, the PMDC directed all private medical and dental colleges not to collect fees for the 2024-2025 academic session from students until the final outcome of the committee’s review emerges.

The committee, formed by the prime minister and headed by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, was tasked with “reassessing and revising” tuition fees for private medical and dental colleges in the country. It directed all colleges to follow its directives and take necessary steps accordingly.

The PMDC has been under criticism over failure to stop private medical and dental colleges from collecting exorbitant fees from students, with the senators of the ruling PML-N recently promising to legislate to determine fee structures and enforce uniform fees in Islamabad’s medical and dental colleges.