Daily Times

Pakistan Association of Private Medical and Dental Colleges Institutions (PAMI) on Wednesday urged the Prime Minister to take notice of the irregularities and discriminatory decisions taken by the Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC).

The PAMI in a statement issued here said that the PMC either abolish the need to pass MDCAT and keep it as a merit determination tool or reduce the pass % to the FSc level, i.e. 33%.

It also said to reverse the decision of NLE this year and make a solid, practical and kind plan from 2026 (new admissions) in consultation with the stakeholders.

The PAMI also said to abolish the inspection criteria for colleges and hospitals and sit with PAMI to develop more practical criteria keeping in mind the ground facts.

PAMI also demanded to take it in decision making bodies so we can help them in making better, holistic decisions.

Statement said that 70% of seats of Sindh Private Dental Colleges remained vacant last year with no dental college without substantial number of seats remaining vacant.

It said that this year instead of decreasing the pass % of MDCAT from 60%, they increased it to 65%, giving a very clear message to the dental and medical colleges of Sindh and in fact to the doctors and medical students of Sindh too.

Earlier the Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) has awarded a millions of rupees contract of conducting examinations to a service provider firm incorporated after the advertisement deadline.

According to documents, PMC through advertisement sought proposals from service provider firms to hold a computer based MCQ exam for approximately 175,000 students in August 2021 and on an annual basis.

In June, the selected company submitted an undertaking with PMC for release of Rs115,500,000 to adjust from fees.

The undertaking submitted by a Single Member Company (SMC) SOAR Testing and Evaluation Platform (SMC-PVT) Limited (TEPS) said that with reference to “Joint Venture Agreement for Examination, Testing and Evaluation Service” between TEPS and PMC, we request you to please release advance payment of PKR 115,500,000 (one Hundred Fifteen Million Five Hundred Thousand Only) to adjust from our share of fees.

It said, “We SOAR Testing and Evaluation Platform (PMC-PVT) Limited (TEPS) would like to draw your kind attention that this is not an expense of PMC rather an advance payment and will be adjusted from our share of fee to be received subsequently, hence no withholding tax is warranted.”

However, according to details available on Security and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), the SOAR Testing and Evaluation Platform (SMC Private) Limited was incorporated on 5/21/2021 after the deadline of the advertisement which was May 10, 2021.

The details available on SECP said that the company is located at plot No 134, street No 9, Sector I-10/3, Islamabad. The incorporation number of the company is 0175598 registered at Islamabad.