Daily Times

Patience seems to be wearing thin as the chaos surrounding the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) rages on. Months after serious allegations of paper leaks, cheating and widespread mismanagement in a few medical colleges, millions of hopeful candidates are still in limbo, anxiously awaiting a retake of this critical examination. After seeing the authorities in Islamabad announce a third extension, thousands of students approached the High Court to seek redress and even call upon President Asif Ali Zardari for an immediate intervention to safeguard their future.

This matter has transcended the realm of individual concern, drawing the attention of parliamentarians, who urged for a transparent, foolproof procedure to ensure no malpractice could throw a spanner in the works of college admissions.

Amidst these escalating tensions, voices from other provinces are increasingly calling for an individualistic testing module, independent of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council. They rightly argue that students should not suffer the consequences of governance failures in other regions.

Notwithstanding the utility of computer-based testing as a pertinent solution to combat the prevalence of the cheating mafia, such suggestions fail to address how a fragmented approach could undermine students and their aspirations to gain admission to prestigious institutes.

If every province is allowed to adopt its own approach to testing, we risk creating a system where domicile overshadows merit in determining the quality of our healthcare professionals. This is a concerning prospect, especially in a country where the standings of our medical community have earned respect on the global stage. Wouldn’t it be more worthwhile to invest in advanced monitoring technologies similar to those employed in standardized tests worldwide?

With the shadow of the pilot licensing debacle still looming – where a single careless statement from a minister tarnished the reputation of Pakistan’s aviation sector – are we truly prepared to let these scandals compromise the integrity and standing of our doctors? *