In a move that has caused considerable concern within the medical community, the Punjab Health Department has substantially raised the entry test fee for postgraduate medical programs.
Aspiring doctors will now need to pay Rs. 10,000 to take the MS and MD entrance exams, marking a 66% increase from the previous fee of Rs 6,000.
The fee hike notification came after the inter-university board meeting approved the change. Under the new guidelines, King Edward Medical University will now be responsible for conducting the admission tests for different medical programs.
Medical professionals have called the hike “cruel” given the current economic difficulties. On the other hand, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has called for the recent increase in the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) entry fee to be reversed.
In a letter to PMDC President Professor Dr. Riazuddin, KP Minister for Higher Education Meena Khan Afridi expressed concerns about the recent increase in the entry test fee for medical colleges and requested that the fee be reduced.
It further stated that the entry test fee for medical college admissions has been increased from Rs6,000 to Rs8,000, despite the “actual expenses” per candidate being only between Rs1,500 and Rs2,000.
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