Pakistan

Foreign student quota: Unfilled seats to be given to deserving students

No candidate would be eligible for foreign quota seats in public and private medical and dental institutions

APP November 13, 2016

speaking on the issue of the reputation and relevance of the present body of the pakistan medical and dental council pmdc prof chaudhry said quot the pmdc is illegal quot photo file

Speaking on the issue of the reputation and relevance of the present body of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), Prof Chaudhry said: "The PMDC is illegal." PHOTO: FILE

ISLAMABAD: In what could be a major shift in policy, the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has suggested that if seats reserved for foreign graduates at medical and dental colleges remain vacant after the first round of admissions, they could be given to local students on merit.

The suggestion hints at a slowdown in foreign students opting for medical studies in Pakistan.

According to an official of PMDC, under its new admission policy, if any seat of foreign or self-finance quota remains vacant due to the lack of eligible candidates, it can be transferred to the open merit quota. He added that no candidate would be eligible for foreign quota seats in public and private medical and dental institutions unless they are permanent foreign nationals or dual nationality overseas Pakistanis and who have physically studied and passed SSC and HSSC abroad.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 14^th, 2016.