Parliament Monitoring Desk Islamabad
The Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, in its meeting held under the chairmanship of Senator Amir Waliuddin Chishti, considered the report of its Sub-Committee on policy, preparedness, planning and coordination for the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT).
The meeting was attended by Senator Syed Masroor Ahsan, Senator Anusha Rahman, Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri, Senator Shahzaib Durrani and Senator Saleem Mandviwalla.
Convenor of the Sub-Committee, Senator Anusha Rahman, presented the report and briefed the Committee on key issues concerning MDCAT and medical education policy. The report noted that the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has capped the total number of medical seats at 22,300 annually, which, according to the Sub-Committee, does not adequately cater to Pakistan’s healthcare needs and may contribute to a shortage of medical professionals in the country.
The Sub-Committee also raised concerns over the representation of the private medical sector in the policy-making process and questioned the effectiveness of the existing consultation mechanism. It observed that consultations conducted primarily through email were insufficient and stressed the need for structured and meaningful engagement with all relevant stakeholders.
The Committee was informed that around 93,000 students who qualify the MDCAT are unable to secure admission to medical colleges, leaving a large number of aspiring medical students out of the medical education system.
The Sub-Committee further highlighted the discrepancy in PMDC’s policy requiring MDCAT for students seeking admission to foreign medical institutions. It recommended stronger regulation of substandard foreign medical institutions, including the preparation and public disclosure of a list of institutions that do not meet prescribed standards.
The Committee also discussed the mismatch between the FSc and A-Level education systems and the MCQ-based MDCAT examination, observing that the existing pattern may increase students’ dependence on private academies. The Sub-Committee recommended providing multiple opportunities for candidates to appear in MDCAT each year.
The report further recommended reconsidering the cap on medical seats, stating that an increase in the number of seats could create economies of scale and help reduce the cost of medical education. It also called for rationalisation of the 50 percent weightage currently assigned to MDCAT in the admission process.
The Sub-Committee emphasised the need for a long-term policy aimed at producing sufficient numbers of qualified doctors not only to meet domestic healthcare requirements but also to enable Pakistan to become a country that exports medical professionals.
Chairman Committee Senator Amir Waliuddin Chishti appreciated the extensive work undertaken by the Sub-Committee and urged PMDC to ensure meaningful consultation with all stakeholders, particularly private medical colleges, while formulating and revising policies related to medical education and admissions.
The Chairman further stressed that expansion of medical education must go hand in hand with strict quality standards and directed that private medical colleges be effectively regulated to ensure the provision of quality medical education.
