MDCAT postponed for indefinite period due to flood crisis
Abdul Qadir Patel, the federal minister for national health services (NHS), stated on Wednesday that the entrance exams for medical and dental colleges will be postponed for an indefinite period (MDCAT).
The minister announced that the admission exam would now take place “following consultation with the provinces.”
At a news conference, Mr. Patel warned that the floods may have resulted in up to 1,300 fatalities and hundreds of thousands of displaced people. That was taken into consideration when the decision to postpone the MDCAT, which is necessary for admission to medical and dental colleges, was made, he claimed.
The minister also said that the pass rates for the MBBS and BDS exams had been reduced from 65 percent and 55 percent, respectively, to 55 percent and 45 percent. Graduates will also not be required to take the National Licensing Exam (NLE).
MDCAT postponed for indefinite period due to flood crisis
The Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) had previously declared that no graduate would be permitted to start practicing without passing the NLE. Students around the nation protested outside the PMC after the decision caused anger among them.
While acknowledging that each province has its own curriculum, Mr. Patel pointed out that the MDCAT is handled by the federal government.
According to him, students will have two weeks to choose which province they wish to take the MDCAT through a portal that will be available on the PMC website. He was unable to disclose any specifics on the arrangement, noting that the method would be chosen and made public in a few days.
It is important to note that around 200,000 applicants and fee payers have registered to take the MDCAT. When the news was made, some candidates voiced concern and questioned how their fee would, if necessary, be transferred to another province.
The nine-member PMC governing committee elected a chairman on Wednesday, the minister also revealed.
According to Mr. Patel, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif earlier withdrew the names of seven PMC members after discovering “malpractices” within the institution.
After that, a search committee for PMC members was established, and it received about 100 applications. Seven members were ultimately nominated after the prime minister received the names of the most qualified candidates, according to Mr. Patel.
Mr. Jawad Amin Khan, Chaudhry Sultan Mansoor, M. Shahhir Kasbati, Prof. Drs. Noshad Ahmed Sheikh, Naqibullah Achakzai, M. Zubair Khan, and Khurshid Ahmad Nasim are the new members.
The body’s new chairman is Dr. Noshad, Ahmed Sheikh.
The surgeon general of the armed forces and the secretary of the Ministry of Health are ex-officio members of the PMC, which has nine members in total, seven of whom the PM nominates.
MDCAT Test Postponed Till Further Notice:
MDCAT Test postponed till further notice. Federal Health Minister in a statement said that the test is postponed in view of the flood situation.
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— National MDCAT (@NationalMdcat) September 7, 2022
