ISLAMABAD: To ensure Pakistani students enroll only in recognized educational institutions, the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) now requires students to obtain a no-objection certificate (NOC) before pursuing medical and dental studies abroad.
This new rule, issued by the National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination (NHSR&C), will take effect in the 2024 academic year. Consequently, Pakistani students will no longer be able to attend foreign medical schools without an NOC.
This measure addresses the issue of many students enrolling in unrecognized colleges in host countries. An official stated that up to 3,000 Pakistani students, 30% of whom are women, go abroad annually for medical education. Most students choose China, followed by Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan in Central Asia. Pakistani students also travel to Russia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Malaysia, Turkey, Iran, and Eastern European countries like Romania for their medical studies.
Currently, between 15,000 and 18,000 Pakistani students are studying medicine and dentistry overseas. Although there are no official statistics, it is estimated that $300 million is spent annually on their education, with each family contributing between $5,000 and $6,000 per year.
