Minister for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Mustafa Kamal on Friday informed the Senate that the government was working on a permanent solution to resolve the recurring issue of reserved medical seats for students from Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Responding to a question during Question Hour, the minister said the issue had surfaced repeatedly over the years due to the absence of a long-term mechanism.
He said that some 194 seats were allocated during 2017-18 and again in 2018-19, while no seats were granted during 2019-23.
He said 333 seats were later allocated during 2023-24 and the same number was maintained in 2024-25 after the present government assumed responsibility.
Mustafa Kamal said the matter had also reached the Supreme Court, which ordered the provision of 194 seats for one year.
He said the government later decided to establish a permanent arrangement by creating 333 seats in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa so that students from both provinces would not face the same issue every year.
The minister said the Health Ministry and PMDC had repeatedly written letters to provincial governments, colleges and universities in both provinces, urging them to obtain the required permissions and complete the process for regularisation of the seats.
However, he regretted that despite repeated correspondence over the past year, the provincial authorities had shown little interest in pursuing the matter.
Mustafa Kamal said the federal government was ready to facilitate both provinces by expediting inspections and fulfilling all required criteria to ensure the seats were formally approved and students did not continue to suffer in future.
He said that the government had taken one-time measures in the larger interest of students to prevent academic loss, for which parliamentarians and affected families had appreciated the Health Ministry and PMDC.