The National Assembly on Thursday revoked the Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) Act and reinstated the Pakistan Medical and Dental Commission (PMDC) Act.
The previous federal government led by PTI introduced the PMC Act. Under the Act, the PMC was authorized to hold the Medical and Dental Colleges Admission Test (MDCAT) exam at the national level.
The PMC was also authorized to hold National Licensing Exam (NLE) for MBBS graduates. NLE was mandatory for obtaining a full license for becoming a General Practitioner.
The latest development has confused the medical and dental aspirants and graduates as there is no clarity regarding the status of MDCAT and NLE.
Speaking in this regard, PPP MNA, Dr. Mehreen Bhutto, has clarified that MDCAT will no longer be conducted at the national level. Instead, all provincial medical and dental authorities will hold the MDCAT at the provincial level. The exam will be held twice a year.
Moreover, NLE for medical graduates of national universities has been abolished. Passing the final professional exams will be enough for them to receive a practicing license.
However, the medical graduates of foreign universities will be required to pass NLE to obtain a practicing license.
Dr. Mehreen claimed national level MDCAT put medical and dental aspirants from distant areas at a disadvantage and the majority of seats in medical and dental colleges remained vacant.
Besides, the structure of the PMDC Council will also be improved by the inclusion of members from all provinces. These members will be tasked with introducing new regulations for the effective management of medical and dental authorities in the country.
