MDCAT: a false hope on the horizon?

Though the announcements of academic opportunities and exams in a transparent socioeconomic and political setting might elicit excitement among prospective aspirants, the same in our part of the world ignites cascades of desperation and adds to frustration for good. This is because the fate of most entrance tests or employment opportunities is rarely determined by the standards of merit and one’s academic abilities, but by the strength of connections or the ability to buy them. The fate of MDCAT, particularly in Sindh, is no different.

Though buying answer keys is an old malpractice in the province, the last two years have witnessed a disturbing trend: papers being openly auctioned on WhatsApp and going viral on social media long before the exams start. For instance, last year’s paper leak prompted a retake months later, but the culprits escaped accountability. As a result, the retake suffered the same fate, and meritorious students suffered lasting psychological trauma from the false hope of becoming doctors. If the culprits had faced strict punishment, things could have been better last year and, of course, this year.

Now that the PMDC has scheduled the nationwide MDCAT for late September this year and assigned it to the provincial public admitting universities, there is a growing concern among diligent students in Sindh about a possible repeat of the murder of merit. While meritorious aspirants are wrestling with preparation and stress, well-connected individuals might be preoccupied with efforts to accumulate money and establish connections with beneficiaries to obtain leaked papers.

Who is responsible for the demise of merit, cashing in on the efforts, dreams, and expectations of underprivileged and meritorious individuals? The beneficiaries, who rightfully share the blame, include, but are not limited to: the health department and the PMDC due to their apathetic oversight of the process in the province; testing authorities; provincial public admitting universities; opulent and well-connected doctors, particularly those associated with teaching hospitals or medical universities; bureaucrats; factions of the YDA; and owners of MDCAT coaching institutes in the province. For instance, the PMDC’s and provincial health department’s oversight makes the process vulnerable to malpractice. The absence of rigorous checks renders testing authorities and administrators susceptible to maladministration, particularly in maintaining the confidentiality of the paper. These administrative vulnerabilities are exploited by well-connected healthcare professionals, bureaucrats, YDA factions, and the management of MDCAT coaching centres, who get papers leaked for their affiliated students and trade the rights of deserving candidates for millions.

How does this work? Beneficiaries, through connections or purchases, obtain leaked questions and answer keys a few hours before the test. In return for promising to provide the paper’s key, they receive a fixed amount from selected students, particularly those who are indolent and affluent. The chosen executors, often close associates of the beneficiaries, would accommodate the selected students in private residences a night before the test. On the early morning of the test, the selected students are made to memorise the correct answers. As a result, those who obtain leaked papers and memorise questions secure spots on the merit list, unfairly displacing deserving and meritorious students.

The costs of depriving meritorious individuals of entry into the healthcare system extend to all members of society, manifesting as healthcare breakdowns, a lack of professionalism, hyperinflated healthcare services, and the compromise of public health for the sake of monetary and material gains from pharmaceutical companies. The PMDC must act in the interest of transparency and strictly regulate the process lest it should turn into another SPSC where prices for most of the positions get fixed well before they get advertised and vacancies get filled before the actual conduct of the ritualistic exams.