A National Assembly standing committee has directed the federal health minister to implement a policy that makes MDCAT result validity three years, meaning a score from the Medical and Dental Colleges Admission Test would stay effective for that period. The direction came from the committee's chairman, Dr. Mahesh Kumar Malani, at a meeting on Wednesday. The panel had discussed extending the validity of MDCAT scores to three years, and the chairman asked the health minister to carry out the decision.
Committee's directive
The meeting was attended by Federal Minister for Health Syed Mustafa Kamal, senior officials from the health ministry, and representatives of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), the body that regulates medical and dental education. Vice-chancellors of private medical universities also took part, and several vice-chancellors briefed the panel on how the MDCAT examination is run. A proposal to give candidates a questionnaire during the next MDCAT was also put forward, and the chairman directed the authorities to implement it.
Private colleges and fees
Malani also asked for a two-year inspection report on private medical colleges. He questioned how those inspections are carried out and what legal action has been taken against institutions that did not comply. Kamal told the panel that 65 private institutions had informed the PMDC of high operating costs, and 35 of them gave detailed breakdowns of those costs.
Kamal said 35 medical colleges had since been permitted to charge annual tuition fees of between Rs1.8 million and Rs2.1 million. He also told the committee that several court stay orders on medical education fees had now expired. The chairman separately voiced concern over frequent transfers and replacements of secretaries in the health ministry, and Kamal said he shared that concern.
What happens next
Any change to MDCAT result validity would depend on the health ministry acting on the committee's direction. For now, the three-year figure is a committee directive, not a settled rule, and the minister has been asked to put it into effect. The private college inspection report and the fee questions remain open items the committee raised at the same meeting.
Aasan alfaaz mein
NA ki standing committee ne health minister ko hukam diya hai ke MDCAT score ko teen saal tak mo'tabar banane wali policy lagu ki jaye. Ye abhi committee ki hidayat hai, aur formal policy banna baqi hai. Agar ye faisla lagu hota hai to score ki muddat lambi ho jaegi, aur private medical colleges ki fees aur inspection par bhi sawal uthaye gaye hain. Students aur walidain health ministry ki agli notification ka intezar karein.
