The National Assembly Standing Committee on National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Thursday recommended summoning an emergency meeting of the Pakistan Medical Council (PMC) to take up the extension in the date of the MDCAT examination and preparation of a similar paper for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, and Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) candidates.
The Committee also recommended establishing more examination centers for overseas students seeking examinations in medical and dental undergraduate programs at other stations. The Committee met under the chairmanship of Dr. Muhammad Afzal Dhandla in Parliament House.
The Committee was briefed that the PMC had arranged MDCAT 2022 through public sector universities in all provinces and in ICT on a single day and time. The member PMC apprised that the MDCAT exam will be paper-based and will be held on 13th November 2022.
Member PMC also apprised that two centers had been established in Saudi Arabia and UAE for overseas students. He informed that the students residing in other countries had either opted for taking exams in UAE, Saudi Arabia, or Pakistan.
The members of the Committee apprehended that due to the short time given by the PMC for the change of examination centers to local as well as overseas students, a large number of students will not be able to get their centers changed, thus they would not be able to take the exams. The members suggested giving such students an opportunity to get their centers changed.
The Secretary Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination said that he would discuss the recommendation of the Committee with the management of PMC and would apprise the committee accordingly.
Discrimination by PCP Against Private College
The Committee, while taking up another matter raised by Rana Shamim Ahmad Khan regarding discrimination by the Pharmacy Council of Pakistan (PCP) against a private pharmacy college, directed PCP to give a level playing field to all institutions imparting pharmacy education in Pakistan.
The Committee directed the Ministry to examine the issue and submit its findings within 15 days. The mover of the matter informed that PCP unilaterally reduced the number of seats in Imran Idress College of Pharmacy.
Pakistan Nursing Council Bill
The Committee allowed the Ministry to withdraw Pakistan Nursing Council (Emergency Management) Bill 2021 on its request. The Committee was apprised that a comprehensive bill was being prepared to strengthen the management and role of the Pakistan Nursing Council.
The Committee also pended ICT Tuberculosis Bill moved by Dr. Nisar Cheema for its next meeting. It directed Ministry to take all the stakeholders on board and present its recommendations on Unani, Ayurvedic, and Homeopathic Practitioners (Amendment) Bill within one month. The Committee was of the view that Unani, Ayurvedic, and Homeopathic education should be brought at par with international standards.
The meeting was attended by Members of the National Assembly including Dr. Nisar Ahmad Cheema, Mukhtar Ahmad Malik, Dr. Samina Matloob, Zahra Wadood Fatemi, Dr. Mahesh Kumar Malani, Shams-un-Nisa, Dr. Shazia Sobia Aslam Soomro, and Dr. Ramesh Kumar Vankwani. Secretary Ministry of NHSRC, Member PCP, and other senior officers of the concerned departments were also in attendance.
Delay mdcat from 13 nov to 11 december
Pleaseeeeeee…..