LAHORE: The Lahore High Court Thursday reserved judgment on petitions challenging central admission policy of the private medical colleges and restrained the private colleges from offering admission and displaying merit lists. A division bench headed by Justice Ayesha A Malik and Justice Jawad Hassan heard the petitions moved by students and Young Doctors Association. During the proceedings, Advocate Ijaz Ahmad Awan who was representing the students submitted that the last date has been announced by the medical colleges to apply for admission. University of Health Sciences (UHS) has also sought applications, the counsel said. He said the students are worried as to where they have to apply for admission. Private colleges told the court that Pakistan Medical and Dental Council had barred them from fresh admission while the rules made for admission had not been presented before the Council of Common Interest for debate on these rules. The students have been approaching them for admission while their parents daily ask about admission policy, the counsel said. The public medical colleges cannot accommodate all medical students, he said pleading that therefore, the private colleges be allowed to give admissions. Advocate Noshab A Khan who was representing the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council said that existing laws have been implemented and all private and public colleges are bound to comply with the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council laws. According to the law, he said, private medical colleges are not allowed to sell their prospectus but it is very awful that the private medical colleges are involved in offering admission to the students which is illegal and unjustifiable. Such attitude of private colleges is ruining medical education and depriving many eligible students of admission, the counsel said. It was the reason that central induction policy was introduced under which UHS was given powers to allow colleges for admission in medical colleges, he said. Khan also submitted that the University of Health Sciences offered merit-based admission to 34 medical colleges and fixed 15 percent quota for overseas Pakistanis. He asked the court to bar the private medical colleges from offering admission to MBBS. After hearing both sides, the bench reserved the judgment which will be announced on December 7.
