MDCAT to be Conducted as Senate Passes PMDC Bill

The Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination passed the bill to restore the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC). Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif dissolved the Pakistan Medical Commission last week.

According to Abdul Qadir Patel, Minister of National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination (NHSRC), the Medical and Dental Colleges Admission Test (MDCAT) will now be conducted on a provincial basis. MDCAT will be conducted by provincial public sector medical universities as per previous practice, and the council will have representation from all provinces, health bodies, and universities.

As a result, UHS will conduct MDCAT 2022 for admissions to Medical and Dental Colleges in Punjab, KMU MDCAT will be conducted in KP for admission to KP Government and Private Medical and Dental Colleges, and Sindh will conduct its own entrance test.

According to Mr. Abdul Qadir, the Bill will also repeal the National Licensing Examination for medical students. There is a possibility that NLE will be abolished.

A meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination was held on Tuesday at Parliament House in Islamabad. PMC was formulated by a presidential order in 2019 under the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf government.

By a majority vote of 7:1, the Senate passed the "Pakistan Medical and Dental Council Bill, 2022". Abdul Qadir Patel and Saleem Mandviwalla introduced the bill.