MBBS admissions: Another year without a uniform policy

PMDC has showed carelessness while deciding an entrance test date for Sindh and Balochistan

KARACHI: In a bid to facilitate medical students and save them from the hassle of applying to multiple universities, the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) -- without any success -- has been trying to introduce a centralised admission system in Pakistan for the past several years. Owing to mismanagement and inconsistencies, the council has failed to implement the proposed system this year as well.



The PMDC earlier announced that it will have a uniform admission policy across Pakistan, according to which the entrance tests for MBBS will be held in all four provinces at the same time.

The policy, however, could not be implemented this time either as the test was held in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) today (August 25), while the tests for Sindh and Balochistan are scheduled to take place on September 8, 2019.

At the time of setting the date for the tests in Sindh and Balochistan, the PMDC forgot to consider the likelihood of 9th or 10th of Muharram falling on September 8, which will be a gazetted holiday. The council, however, has not announced a new date yet, leaving students in limbo.

To top it off, the limit for the PMDC’s presidential ordinance will expire on September 5, after which the committee which takes decisions related to admissions in medical colleges across the country will dissolve. If the council does not announce a new date for the entrance tests in Sindh and Balochistan before September 5, it is unclear as to which body will take over the responsibility of doing so.

The new presidential ordinance for PMDC, which was issued in January 2019, was not approved by the Senate. Until the release of an amended ordinance, the PMDC will remain inactive.

It is pertinent to mention that the policy was announced for both the public and private medical colleges in Pakistan, including dental colleges. Moreover, this year, the council announced that the admission tests will take place in two phases under the National Testing Service (NTS).

Pakistan facing acute shortage of doctors

In Sindh, the admissions in both public and private colleges will be granted under the Liaquat Medical University (LMS) in Jamshoro. The university will also be responsible for releasing the merit list. The entry test will be held in Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Larkana and Mirpurkhas at the same time.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 26^th, 2019.