MDCAT requirement removed for Pakistani students studying medicine abroad

Pakistani students seeking to study medicine or dentistry abroad will no longer be obligated to pass the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT), the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) announced on Monday. The decision was made during a council meeting held on September 14. The PMDC did not provide further explanation regarding the rationale behind the change.

However, PMDC President Dr. Rizwan Taj stated that a parliamentary committee had recommended against forcing students to clear MDCAT to pursue studies abroad. The Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services, which has been examining the matter, emphasized the inconsistency in PMDC's policy requiring MDCAT for students aiming for foreign medical institutions during one of its meetings on September 15.

The committee recommended improved regulation of substandard foreign medical institutions and the public disclosure of a list of institutions failing to meet the required standards. In June, a sub-committee discussed the PMDC's advertisement mandating MDCAT for MBBS program admissions abroad, questioning the directive's legality and its arbitrary nature, given the lack of statutory support.

While PMDC officials claimed the move aimed to discourage admissions in substandard foreign medical institutions, committee members remained unconvinced about how MDCAT would prevent admission in such colleges. The committee suggested that the PMDC should publish a list of foreign medical colleges and universities not meeting recognized standards instead of implementing blanket restrictions to better guide students and parents.

After PMDC's decision to waive the requirement, an official confirmed that students studying abroad would be exempt from clearing MDCAT. However, those transferring back to Pakistan during their studies would still need to pass the National Examination Board (NEB) assessment. Additionally, foreign medical graduates planning to practice in Pakistan would have to pass the registration exam for foreign medical graduates, conducted by the NEB twice a year.