ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for National Health Services Syed Mustafa Kamal on Wednesday inaugurated the newly developed Medical and Dental Colleges Admission Test (MDCAT) Question Bank at the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) headquarters.

The question bank will be used for the upcoming test, for which 97,028 candidates have already registered.

The total number is expected to reach nearly 150,000 before the close of registrations.

PMDC President Professor Dr Rizwan Taj, the Head of the Examination Department and others were present on the occasion.

During a briefing, the minister was informed by the president that PMDC’s role was limited to registering candidates and providing overall supervision of the MDCAT process.

“The actual conduct of the examination, including paper setting, administration and evaluation, is the sole responsibility of the designated public admitting universities. Beyond candidate registration and oversight, PMDC does not interfere in operational matters. This ensures impartiality and merit-based admissions,” he said.

Mustafa Kamal said that no lapses should occur in the upcoming MDCAT examination.

He noted that the introduction of the new question bank would be instrumental in minimising errors, enhancing fairness and strengthening public confidence in the evaluation process.

The minister was apprised that 30 examination venues had been designated nationwide to facilitate candidates and ensure accessibility. He also inspected the online registration and monitoring portal and was informed that 97,028 candidates had already registered, with the total expected to reach nearly 150,000 before the close of registrations on Aug 25.

It is worth mentioning that clearing MDCAT is mandatory for admission to medical and dental colleges.

Commending PMDC’s efforts, Mustafa Kamal appreciated the development of a comprehensive question bank based on a common syllabus agreed upon by all provinces.

He was also briefed on the deployment of modern digital safeguards to further enhance the security and integrity of the MDCAT process.

Highlighting the significance of the newly developed standardised syllabus-based question bank, Dr Rizwan Taj noted that it addressed long-standing concerns regarding regional disparities, creating a level playing field and ensuring merit-based admissions nationwide.

Meanwhile, Mustafa Kamal chaired a meeting to review the progress of ongoing projects and discussed the challenges being faced in their implementation.

Speaking on the occasion, he said that decisions taken by the Ministry of Health directly affected human lives; therefore, all ongoing projects must be completed on a priority basis and within stipulated timelines.

He stressed that Pakistan, being the fifth most populous country in the world, must adopt effective strategies to bring down its population growth rate. “We need to formulate policies that can help control the rising population, which is putting immense pressure on the health system,” he remarked.

The minister said the government’s foremost objective was to prevent people from falling ill rather than just treating them.

“The rush we see in hospitals sometimes feels like a political rally has just ended. We need to reduce this burden by focusing on preventive healthcare,” he noted.

The minister further said that the government was working to strengthen the Basic Health Units (BHUs) across the country and ensure an effective referral system to provide timely care.

Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2025