ISLAMABAD: Minister for National Health Services (NHS) Abdul Qadir Patel on Wednesday directed the Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) to hold the Medical and Dental Colleges Admission Tests (MDCAT) on the same day throughout the country.

During his surprise visit to the PMC, the minister inspected all departments as well as the reception area and reviewed facilities being provided to doctors and visitors. He directed that public facilities should be improved.

During the tenure of the erstwhile Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), MDCAT - which is mandatory for getting admissions to medical and dental colleges - was held on the same day, with a single test across the country. However the PMC, which was set up after dissolving the PMDC during the tenure of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government, introduced an online test and prolonged the duration to 30 days.

Students had demanded that a single test should be conducted throughout the country. They were of the view that in case of separate tests, some students would get an easy question paper while others might have to solve a difficult one.

They alleged that merit was not being followed and demanded that the test should be held on the same day and every candidate be given the same question paper whether appearing from within the country or abroad.

Every year, 200,000 candidates appear in MDCAT from Pakistan and around a dozen countries.

The health minister directed the PMC management that the test should be conducted on the same day after taking all provinces into confidence.

According to a statement issued by the PMC, Abdul Qadir Patel met visitors and doctors present on the premises of the commission and inquired from them about the PMC’s performance.

He also held a meeting with PMC President Prof Dr Noshad A. Shaikh and Vice President Dr Khurshid Ahmad on MDCAT, and directed them to take all provincial public medical universities and health secretaries on board on holding of MDCAT.

Mr Patel asked the PMC president to hold a meeting with the vice chancellors of public-sector universities and provincial health secretaries for administrative arrangements in Islamabad, Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Published in Dawn, September 15th, 2022