The National Assembly Standing Committee on National Health Services was informed on Friday that hundreds of seats in medical and dental colleges across Pakistan remain vacant, even after the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) lowered admission merit thresholds. The committee, chaired by Mahesh Kumar Malani, heard that approximately 100 MBBS seats and 300 dental seats had not been filled.
PMDC President Denies Salary Hike Allegations
Committee member Alia Kamran alleged that PMDC President Dr Rizwan Taj had unilaterally increased his own salary by millions of rupees. She demanded that he respond to the accusations. Dr Taj denied the claims, stating, "My salary increase has not been approved. I am not drawing a salary from anywhere." He added that he had not drawn a salary while serving as dean of PIMS and that only a proposal had been floated to align his remuneration with that of a university vice-chancellor.
Health Minister Defends Admissions Framework
Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal defended the existing admissions system, noting that expensive medical colleges had not experienced vacant seats. "Any medical college charging higher fees does not have a single vacant seat," he said, emphasizing that institutions must improve academic standards. "Whichever college provides better quality education will not have vacant seats." He also called for increasing the number of seats in public-sector medical colleges.
MDCAT Qualifiers Not Applying
PMDC officials informed lawmakers that nearly 40,000 students who qualified the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) had not applied for admission to medical colleges, contributing to the vacancies.
