MDCAT postponed for indefinite period due to flood crisis
The Pakistan Medical Council (PMC) has postponed the Medical and Dental Colleges Admissions Test (MDCAT) for an indefinite period due to the country’s ongoing flood devastation.
The decision was made just one day after the newly formed council released a revised schedule for the MDCAT across the country.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Federal Minister for National Health Services (NHS) Abdul Qadir Patel announced the decision, saying that electricity and internet connections remained out in several parts of the country, preventing a large number of students from registering for the test on the relevant online portal.
Students who were unable to apply for the test can now register through the appropriate portal, and provinces will conduct the MDCAT examination under their domain. For such students, the portal will remain open for two weeks.
“Currently, the country is badly affected by floods, and provinces and the federation are working hard to assist their citizens, as over 1300 people have died and millions have been displaced,” he lamented.
According to Abdul Qadir Patel, the minimum required percentage to apply for admission to MBBS has also been reduced from 65 to 55%, and the requirements for BDS admission have been reduced from 55 to 45% in order to discourage the tendency of getting admissions abroad.
The minister added that nearly 16,000 students were studying in foreign medical colleges, draining Rs50 billion annually.
The minister stated that if a seat remains unfilled, this policy will be reviewed. He claimed that approximately 16,000 Pakistani students are studying abroad, draining 50 billion rupees. He stated that we are committed to assisting our children.
MDCAT postponed for indefinite period due to flood crisis
He also stated that the council has decided to reconsider the National Licensing Examination (NLE) for Pakistani graduates. This exam, however, would continue for foreigners.
He explained that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had recently formed a search committee of seven members to appoint members to the Pakistan Medical Commission’s Medical and Dental Council and National Medical and Dental Academic Board.
The committee advertised for applications from candidates who met the prerequisites and then went through the process of appointing them as members.
“After the process was completed, a list of those with high numbers was sent to the prime minister, who approved it.”
The minister also stated that it was decided that all PMC employees whose services were forcibly terminated would be reinstated, adding that the decision was made unanimously.
In the aftermath of the recent floods, the Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services had previously called for the MDCAT examination to be postponed for at least two months.
Senator Dr. Muhammad Humayun, Chairman of the Committee, also stated that the MDCAT exams should be held in accordance with the PMDC bill, which has yet to become an act.
Previously, the Senate passed an amendment bill to reinstate the defunct Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) by abolishing the PMC. The committee chairman stated that because the bill would eventually be passed, “we support the government in the larger interest of the students.”