ISLAMABAD: Pakistani students admitted to medical colleges outside the country spend at least $70 million every year to finance their studies, seemingly putting a significant strain on the country’s foreign exchange reserves.

This was stated by Federal Minister National Health Services (NHS) Dr Nadeem Jan during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on NHS on Thursday. The meeting held at Parliament House was chaired by Senator Muhammad Humayun Mohmand.

The caretaker minister said every year at least 10,000 foreign graduate doctors return to Pakistan whereas the government only has 2,000 slots for their house jobs. “We need to streamline the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC),” he said. Dr Jan said that it was “unfortunate that students were continuously going abroad and getting admission in medical colleges in different countries”.

He suggested that the students, who do not get admission in Pakistan’s medical and dental colleges, join other fields instead of opting for foreign institutions to get their medical degrees.

Dr Jan says 10,000 graduates return every year; only 2,000 house jobs available

DHO Dr Zaeem Zia informed the Senate panel about the dengue cases in Islamabad, saying they drastically decreased in 2023, with only 1,230 cases reported compared to 6,400 cases in 2022. He also noted that no deaths occurred due to dengue virus in 2023.

Meanwhile UNFPA representative in Islamabad Dr Luay Shabaneh called on Health Minister Dr Nadeem Jan.

Dr Jan informed that the ministry was all set to organise the “All Pakistan Women Convention on Family Planning and Population Management” at the Convention Centre Islamabad on October 16.

He further informed that the objective of this convention was to empower the women and mothers by raising the awareness and knowledge of women, particularly the rural women on population issues and family planning based on the Islamic concept “Tawazun” which called for balancing between the resources and the population.

He said that the audience at the Convention will include the 500 women of reproductive health age from rural and peri-urban areas. National and international experts will also participate in the convention to highlight the ‘Islamic point of view on family planning’.

Separately, the Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (Pima) expressed deep concerns over the current situation related to admissions in medical colleges and the mismanagement observed in the recent Medical and Dental Colleges Admission Test (MDCAT). It called on the PMDC, relevant provincial health departments, and universities to announce a uniform and transparent central admission policy.

Pima President Dr Abdul Aziz Memon stated that the PMDC had continuously failed to ensure the timely process of admissions. “Students desiring admission into medical colleges and their parents are the most important stakeholders in the admission system, who are currently in a state of uncertainty and no one seems to care about their rights,” he said.

Published in Dawn, October 6th, 2023