Authorities fail to take decision on centralised admission policy

Private medical colleges may be barred this year from taking tests prior to test for govt colleges

KARACHI: As relevant authorities have not been able to formulate a uniform admission policy for government and private medical and dental colleges in the province, there is a possibility that private medical institutions will arrange their own admission tests as per past practice.

According to a proposed centralised admission policy, all students aspiring to take admissions in medical and dental colleges were supposed to appear for a centralised test. Students who would score high in the test would be given admission in government institutes while those who would score less could take admission in private ones.

However, the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council have not yet decided to implement the policy for centralised admissions.

The need for a centralised policy was felt due to the high-handedness of private institutes who announce their test dates before the test date of government colleges. Many students who clear tests of private colleges take tentative admissions in them so that they could continue their medical education in case they failed to clear the test of government medical colleges, which are generally considered more prestigious.



The private colleges charge exorbitant admission fee that is non-refundable, due to which the parents of students who deposit admission fee with private college as a precautionary measure have to suffer financial loss. If those students clear government colleges' test, they have to forgo a large sum of money that they have deposited as admission fee with private colleges.

Although, relevant authorities have not yet decided about the method and mechanism for a uniform admission policy for MBBS and BDS for the year 2018-19, they seem to be taking some measures to protect parents from exploitation by private colleges.

A source from the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council informed The Express Tribune that private colleges may be barred this year from holding examination tests for MBBS and BDS programmes before the test for government colleges.



In the meantime, the provincial health department has assigned the responsibility for admissions in government medical colleges for the year 2018-19 to the Jinnah Sindh Medical University (JSMU).

Commenting on the development, JSMU Vice-Chancellor Dr Tariq Rafi explained that a meeting would be held next week to discuss the admissions. The results of intermediate pre-medical group will be announced around September 15, he said, adding that the admissions process will be initiated after the results' announcement.