PESHAWAR: Health department has requested Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) to enhance seats in public and private medical and dental colleges to accommodate the increasing number of students in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

According to officials, the provincial government wants to raise the number of MBBS seats in public sector by 1,275 in addition to the existing 1,466 seats in 10 public medical colleges. They say that government wants to create 1,571 more seats in five public sector medical colleges in addition to the existing 1,785 slots whereas increase of 545 additional seats have been sought in 12 private medical colleges.

There are 1,100 MBBS seats in private colleges while tally of seats in private dental colleges has been sought to increase to 1,291. “If the plan sees light of the day, 2,291 seats in MBBS and BDS in both public and private medical and dental colleges will be increased,” said officials.

They said that the decision to enhance seats was recently taken in a meeting held with the caretaker chief minister, retired Justice Arshad Hussain Shah, in the chair. Prof Ziaul Haq, the vice-chancellor of Khyber Medical University, made a presentation regarding the available seats in public and private medical and dental colleges and suggested increase in line with the rising number of candidates seeking admission to those colleges every year.

CM directs health dept to take up issue with PMDC owing to increasing number of students

Officials said that the chief minister’s office directed KMU, health department and adviser on health to chief minister to take up the matter with PMDC, the regulator of medical education in the country. The directives said that enhancement of seats in medical colleges was meant for merit-based students domiciled in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The meeting was informed that the chief minister had held a meeting with the president of PMDC and caretaker federal minister for health and the former had agreed to the request about enhancement of seats in public and private colleges of the province.

The KMU vice-chancellor on the occasion informed the meeting that presently 1,785 slots, including 1,466 for MBBS and 319 for BDS students, were available in 15 public colleges while 1,425 seats, including 1,100 for MBBS and 325 for BDS students, were available in 17 private colleges of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. According to him demand for admission to medical and dental colleges was higher than the available seats. He said that creation of more slots was required to bridge the gap. Owing to shortage of seats, a huge number of leftover candidates, who can afford, go abroad for pursuing medical education. No seat in any private medical college remains unfilled.

The representative of private colleges said that the maximum approved slots of MBBS and BDS were 150 and 75, respectively, in private medical colleges. They said that eight private colleges had the capacity to accommodate 400 more medical students, 50 in each medical college. Similarly, five private dental colleges had the capacity to accommodate 125 more students, 25 in each college.

Following detailed discussion, the chief minister directed health department in consultation with KMU to take up the case with PMDC for enhancement of seats in the public and private medical colleges of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

However, he said that enhanced seats in the private sector medical colleges should be filled from amongst the eligible candidates on merit and residents of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa only. In addition to the existing 10 per cent seats on scholarships, 20 per cent of the enhanced seats should be reserved for admission on scholarship to provide free of cost medical education to the most deserving and poor students on merit in the manner as may be prescribed by KMU, admitting medical university in the province.

Control of all the seats will rest with KMU and no seat will be left vacant.

Published in Dawn, January 18th, 2024