Senate panel orders fresh MDCAT probe

ISLAMABAD:

The Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination has directed the health ministry to conduct a fresh inquiry into complaints regarding the MDCAT 2026 examination within one week.

PMDC officials informed the committee that no irregularities or anomalies had been found during the examination.

The committee also expressed concern over the PMDC's practice of collecting question booklets from candidates after the examination and not allowing them to retain copies. Members questioned why the paper had not been made public, stressing that transparency in the question bank and examination process was essential to safeguarding merit.

PMDC officials said the question booklets were collected to protect the question bank and prevent candidates appearing in subsequent years from gaining an unfair advantage. The committee, however, rejected the justification.

The committee also questioned the PMDC's recently introduced policy requiring students intending to pursue medical education abroad to take the MDCAT, which was subsequently withdrawn following the committee's intervention.

Expressing dissatisfaction with the inquiry report, the committee directed the Ministry of National Health Services to conduct a fresh inquiry into the complaints within one week and submit its findings to the committee.