The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has made it mandatory for Pakistani students wishing to seek admission to medical colleges abroad to appear in and pass the MDCAT exam.
Javad Amin Khan, a member of the PMDC Executive Committee, shared this development. He explained that Pakistani students who pass the intermediate pre-medical exams often seek admission to MBBS and BDS programs in foreign medical colleges through local agents. However, the PMDC has no information about the admission policies, curriculum, facilities, or the number of Pakistani students enrolling in these foreign institutions.
To address these gaps, PMDC has decided that all students seeking admission to medical colleges abroad must first register for and pass the MDCAT exam. A policy has been formulated for this, and the initiative will not only ensure the collection of data about such students but will also provide them with a certificate confirming their success in MDCAT after they gain admission to a foreign institution.
In addition to the MDCAT, students will also need to complete registration with PMDC, and a detailed policy will be released soon. The PMDC is also working on reforming its policy for students already studying in foreign medical colleges.
Javad Amin Khan revealed that, last year, students who had returned from small countries and participated in the PMDC’s equivalency test had a pass rate of less than two percent. As a result, the council has decided that the National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS) will conduct equivalency tests for returning students, and those who pass will be registered as doctors with the council.
PMDC will also conduct inspections of medical colleges in smaller countries where Pakistani students are enrolling. These colleges charge approximately $10,000 annually in tuition fees, with additional costs for accommodation and living expenses. This results in Pakistani students paying up to $50,000 annually for their medical education, causing valuable foreign exchange to be transferred abroad.
Additionally, the PMDC emphasized that the curricula of foreign medical colleges differ significantly from Pakistan’s medical curriculum. Students are often unaware of whether the medical colleges they are enrolling in have their own teaching hospitals, which is a requirement for any medical institution.
There has been a growing trend among Pakistani students to pursue medical education abroad, particularly in countries like Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and others where such institutions are promoted through local agents.
