Medical profession: Foreign graduates irked over delay in result announcements

Result for Feb 17 exam yet to be announced despite 10-day rule.

LAHORE: Medical graduates from foreign universities are irked with the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council for its failure to announce the results of a qualifying exam held in February despite a rule requiring that the result be announced within 10 day of the exam.

Under PMDC rules, medical graduates from foreign universities are required to pass the National Examination Board (NEB) exam to seek jobs or start private practice in the country. The exam is conducted in steps (step I and II), at least three times a year and results are to be announced within 10 days of the exam. The last exam was held on February 17 and the PMDC is yet to announce the results.

“It has been over a month since the exam. I tried contacting the PMDC several times to inquire about the delay. No one responded to my emails and phone calls,” says a graduate from a university in Ukraine.

The graduate says the delay is affecting his domestic affairs. “I have a family to look after. The delay in the announcement of the result is preventing me from starting a job,” he says. He also complains about mismanagement in other PMDC affairs. He says the delay in announcement of the results is not the only problem faced by foreign degree holders. “It is extremely difficult to acquire an eligibility certificate to sit in the exam if you don’t know anyone in the PMDC,” he says.

A foreign degree holder in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa had last month committed suicide on his failure to obtain the eligibility certificate.

Some medical graduates from foreign universities have come together on the social media to share the problems they face in their dealings with the PMDC. They have formed an online group on FaceBook where members can share their stories.

PMDC Registrar Dr Raja Amjad Mahmood says he is aware of the delay. He says the council is compiling the result and will soon announce it. However, he refuses to give a deadline for the purpose. He says he is looking into other problems pointed out by the foreign degree holders as well. “We will address all such problems,” he says.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 30^th, 2015.