The Pakistan Association of Private Medical and Dental Institutions (PAMI) has raised serious concerns over a new fee cap announced by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), warning that the private education sector may not survive under the current restrictions.
According to a recent PMDC notification, the maximum annual fee for medical and dental colleges has been set at Rs. 1.8 million, with a five percent increase allowed for the 2025 session. However, PAMI has rejected the cap, calling the move premature and unworkable.
In a statement, PAMI Secretary General Dr. Riaz Janjua said private colleges had already announced and collected fees—ranging higher than the new cap—in line with Section 20(7) of the PMDC Act 2022, well before the admission process.
“These regulations cannot be applied retroactively, so fees already collected cannot be refunded or adjusted,” he said.
Dr. Janjua also referred to a meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, where it was reportedly agreed that colleges charging between Rs. 1.8 million and Rs. 2.5 million would be required to submit financial justifications to the PMDC.
A fee committee comprising PMDC and PAMI members was to be formed to review audit reports, but that committee has yet to be officially notified.
PAMI has now proposed that all fees up to Rs. 2.6 million be exempt from scrutiny and that the upper cap be raised to at least Rs. 3.2 million.
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