PMDC bars medical, dental colleges from filling vacant seats

The Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PMDC) has stopped medical and dental colleges from filling their own vacant seats, telling them that no medical or dental college is allowed to fill its own vacant seats.

In a letter sent to the principals of medical and dental colleges, PMDC Registrar Dr Shaista ordered that the admitting universities are to ensure admission in all colleges in their respective provinces/regions in accordance with the criteria specified under Section 17(5) of the PMDC Act, 2022.

Dr Shaista said that the mandate of the admitting universities to ensure admission in their provinces/regions should strictly be adhered to, adding that admissions granted under the amnesty given by the PMDC would not be recognised unless carried out by the admitting university.

The PMDC had reduced the merit for vacant seats in private medical and dental colleges, and reduced the passing mark of MDCAT for MBBS to 50 per cent and for BDS to 45 per cent. The Liaquat Medical University Jamshoro was declared the authorised institution for admission in Sindh, and the university had charged Rs4,500 separately from each applicant as admission fee, while the testing agency had also charged Rs7,000 as test fee from the candidates.