35.4% of MDCAT takers pass contentious exam

PMC VP hopes results will finally put doubts, fears to bed

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan Medical Commission's (PMC) National Medical Authority (NMA) on Saturday announced the final result of the MDCAT 2021 after the conclusion of the post-exam analysis held on the completion of the test.

Addressing a press conference, PMC President Dr Arshad Taqi said that a record number of 194,133 students took the MDCAT exam from August 30 to October 2. He added that out of the 194,133 students, 68,680 students passed the exam, resulting in a national pass percentage of 35.4 per cent.
Moreover, 276 Covid-19 and dengue-affected students sat for the exam on Saturday.

Dr Taqi said that the post-exam analysis was carried out independently by Quaid-e-Azam University as per the request of Special Assistant to Prime Minister on National Health Services Dr Faisal Sultan.

Dr Taqi stated the MDCAT is in accordance with global practices and a comprehensive data set is now available that was not possible with a written exam. He added that the MDCAT was held not only in 25 centres in Pakistan but also at six international centres in North America, Europe and the Middle East for the first time.

Read QAU tasked to scrutinise MDCAT results

Sharing his thoughts on the student data now available and the post-exam analysis, PMC Vice President Ali Raza said, "The single computer-based national level MDCAT examination was a novel concept in Pakistan and critiqued by certain circles, however, we hope that the results speak for themselves and will finally put to bed the doubts and fears created by the few detractors who seek to remain rooted in the status quo."

The VC maintained it has ensured that the entrance exam for the most competitive higher education programme in the country carries the seal of integrity and students of genuine merit can compete for entry into medical and dental programmes.

According to the PMC conduct of examinations 2021, the MDCAT result is valid for two years and the equivalence formula for the result is now also available on the PMC website, Raza added.

Raza said that the MDCAT is an integral part of the reforms introduced by Parliament and the federal government under the PMC Act 2020 to improve and standardise healthcare education in Pakistan in line with global practices.

Read more Students challenge MDCAT results

However, last week, police and young doctors had clashed outside the PMC building in Islamabad as the latter were protesting against the government’s move to make the National Licencing Examination mandatory for registration.

Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry later told reporters that the government could not register doctors without having their “fitness checked”. “After MBBS, students have to take licencing exams. This is practiced across the world,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Sindh government has demanded of the federation to immediately abolish PMC, saying the PMC was destroying the future of the medical students.

"The toppers and intelligent children have failed and become mentally ill," Minister for Universities and Boards Muhammad Ismail Rahu had said last week. He stated that Sindh had already expressed concerns over PMC's policy for admission in medical colleges.

"We will not allow PMC to do injustice to the students in Sindh and ruin their future," Rahu said. The provincial minister maintained that there are anomalies in the PMC's test system. "The constitution and law do not give the federation any authority to form PMC," he added.