The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on States and Frontier Regions has asked the Pakistan Medical Commission to notify the increase of medical seats of erstwhile FATA students in medical colleges. It has summoned the Chairman Pakistan Medical Commission in the next meeting and has recommended MDCAT to be taken by provinces as per their syllabus.
A meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on State and Frontier Regions was held at Parliament House on Friday under the chairmanship of Sajid Khan. Committee members Jamaluddin, Gul Dad Khan, Afzal Khokhar, Saleh Muhammad, Shah Zain Bugti were in attendance.
The meeting was attended by Secretary SAFRON, HEC, PMC officials, Vice-Chancellor Khyber Medical University, and WAPDA officials.
The committee showed displeasure with President Pakistan Medical Commission for not attending the meetings of the committee.
PMC officials told the Committee that work is being done on the increased quota for former FATA students. We have to review the facilities before increasing the quota. The Chairman of the Committee questioned why the president has not come to the meeting.
The Chairman of the Committee asked the Secretary SAFRON to inform the committee about the development in the matter. Secretary SAFRON informed the committee that the number of medical seats in the former FATA has increased to 36. MNA Jamaluddin said that even today, tribal people don’t have their homes; they are living in dilapidated conditions due to military operations and terrorism, and have no resources to get our youth a better future. He pleaded for the students and asked to give FATA students their due right of admission to medical and engineering colleges.
The Committee expressed dissatisfaction on National Medical & Dental College Admission Test (NMDCAT) conducted by Pakistan Medical Commission and suggested that every province may be allowed to conduct these tests in accordance with their syllabus.
Officials informed the committee that FATA students are not being admitted to the universities on FATA quota even though the students are on merit. Two universities are objecting that they have not passed the university entry test on which the committee summoned the heads of Agricultural University Faisalabad and Engineering University Punjab in the next meeting.
