Foreign graduates left in limbo as PMDC’s new rules unleash confusion, chaos

Changes affect number of foreign universities recognised by the PM&DC, decide who can receive a provisional license

The new change of rules issued by the Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PM&DC) has created a storm of confusion amongst Pakistanis' who were foreign medical university graduates. The changes affect the number of foreign universities recognised by the PMDC, deciding who can receive a provisional license needed to go ahead with their house job or who have to pass the National Registration Examination (NRE) exam to gain a provisional license.

What are the changes?

Only graduates from PM&DC-recognised foreign medical universities will be eligible for:

• Provisional registration

• House jobs in Pakistan

In the instance that the student has graduated from a non-recognised foreign medical university, that student will be required to sit for the NRE to receive the provisional license.

This policy mainly affects students studying in the following countries:

• China

• Russia

• Kyrgyzstan

• Kazakhstan

• Azerbaijan

According to the statement shared by the PM&DC, most of the students affected are the ones who started their education in foreign universities during the time PM&DC Ordinance 1962 and the Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) Act 2020 were in place. "The majority of the affected students have received degrees from institutions mainly from Afghanistan, Central Asian Republics such as Kyrgyzstan, Iran, etc."

However, a new council was constituted in April 2023, and the respective council has implemented several reforms "to promote medical education." PM&DC states that these new rules are introduced with the intention of "ensuring patient safety and strengthening the national health system." According to the notification shared by the PM&DC, the institution is raising the processing fee "for inclusion in the PM&DC recognised list of institutions" from $5,000 to $10,000.

 

The confusion regarding the new policies began when this year's summer graduates arrived back in the country.

Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) elected representative Dr Rafey Sher detailed the confusion on the ground. “When we graduated and returned to Pakistan, our university was recognised in the new list and students from the batch who had graduated just six months before us were able to procure their provisional licenses (necessary for your house job). However, when we returned, we found our portals closed. We were told by the PM&DC that this was due to an IT problem, which persisted for two months, after which they announced a change of policy.”

Dr Rafey Sher is a graduate of International University of Kyrgyzstan (IUK), a university that is on the recognised list of the PM&DC, but he is still unable to procure a provisional license.

After much public backlash and criticism, the PM&DC issued a press release addressing the woes of students, detailing why the policy had changed and how the department will conduct itself going forward.

Read: MDCAT 2026: higher eligibility criteria, revised exam structure

PM&DC alleges that only 700 students are unable to procure their licenses, FMGs claims the figure is closer to 3,000. When The Express Tribune asked Dr Rafey to justify the number, he stated that 700 students were those who were able to access their portals and had their applications rejected. The figure of 3,000 includes students who graduated and came back to find their portals inaccessible.

The statement said that after deliberating the complaints voiced by students, “Accordingly, it has been decided that only those graduates of foreign institutions duly recognised by PM&DC are eligible for the issuance of provisional registration before NRE.”

According to Dr Rafey, this statement did not reflect on the ground, “After announcing the new policy, I visited their office in person, and they denied their own press release.” Dr Rafey had also gone to Parliament, garnering the support of many members of the Pakistan People’s Party, and also had the opportunity to meet the Federal Health Minister, Mustafa Kamal.

“I detailed to him how, regardless of my university being on the list of recognised institutions, I failed to receive my provisional license. I have wasted 4-5 months already and now all slots for house jobs are filled. We have wasted a year of our time, even though according to their press release, we should have been able to start our house jobs without sitting for NRE.”

Dr Fatima Abid, director of admissions at Jinnah Sindh Medical University, tells The Express Tribune that many graduates from Sindh universities face a similar situation. "Several universities in Sindh appear on the approved list (including DUHS, JSMS, LUMHS, Isra University), many graduates have reported delays in receiving their provisional licenses."

She went on to urge the PM&DC to provide students clarity on the delays that, according to her, stem from inspection reports or procedural backlogs, stressing that the timely issuance of licenses is vital for house job placements in public hospitals.

The Express Tribune reached out to the PM&DC for a comment on their new policies and the accusations levied against them by the FMGs but they have not responded.