Admission to medical colleges

Parents resent PMDC decision to wave domicile condition

By Bureau report

PESHAWAR: Hundreds of parents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are concerned about future of their children after the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) in its clandestine decision removed the domicile restriction from getting admission to the private medical and dental colleges of the province.

Around 43,827 students, including 26,427 male and 17,400 female, had appeared in the entrance test, which the Khyber Medical University (KMU), Higher Education Department (HED) and the Educational Testing and Evaluation Agency (ETEA) had conducted.

According to the parents and students who appeared in the test, the paper designed for the students in KP was five percent tough than those in Punjab and other provinces.

Only 15 students, (0.03 percent) secured 90 percent and above marks in the entrance test in KP.

And 753 students, (1.72 percent) got 80 percent to 89.99 percent marks, 2,856 applicants (6.52 percent) obtained 70 percent to 79.99 percent while 4,226 (9.64 percent) secured 60 percent to 69.00 percent marks for admission to 2,700 seats in 30 medical and dental colleges in KP.

Out of these 30 medical and dental colleges, there are 13 medical institutions in the public sector in KP in which nine are medical and four are dental colleges.

In the private sector, out of 17 private medical institutions, there are 13 medical and six dental colleges in the province.

The interim council of the PMDC had taken certain decisions. Some were stated to be good though these were provoked owners of the private medical institutions as it was the first time they were going to be made accountable. The PMDC could not fulfill its commitment to hold the entrance test the same day in the four provinces.

In KP, the KMU conducted the test on August 25 while the Senate dissolved the interim council of the PMDC on August 28.

There are serious reservations over some of the reported controversial decisions of the PMDC interim council, particularly removing the restriction of domicile in getting admission to the private medical and dental colleges.

In the past, students deprived of getting admission to the public sector medical and dental colleges would apply for admission to the private sector institutions in their respective provinces.

According to sources, Sindh and Balochistan had refused to accept this controversial decision of the interim council, headed by Supreme Court’s former judge, Shakirullah Jan.

Interestingly, since the council has been dissolved, the PMDC registrar has been given the authority to handle its affairs.

This month the federal health secretary convened a meeting with vice-chancellors of the admitting universities and behaved like the central admission committee in Islamabad.

The federal secretary chaired the meeting and upheld the same controversial decision of the previous interim council and removed the restriction of domicile in getting admission to private medical and dental colleges.

“It will be a big injustice to the brilliant students of smaller provinces like KP and Balochistan. Since the students in Punjab were higher in number, they secured more marks and would easily occupy maximum seats in the private sector,” one of the many concerned parents told The News.

He said these students would utilise all resources in KP but would leave the province soon after completion of their education.

“My humble request to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is to strongly oppose this unjust decision of the former PMDC council and save the future of hundreds of brilliant students in KP by restoring the domicile policy in getting admission in the private medical and dental colleges,” he demanded.