Efforts to address vacant seats in medical and dental colleges have prompted discussions about lowering the Medical and Dental Colleges Admission Test (MDCAT) passing threshold, but Health Minister Mustafa Kamal has raised questions about the reasons behind the vacancies.
Speaking at a meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Health, chaired by MNA Dr. Mahesh Kumar Malani, Kamal pointed out that medical and dental colleges charging Rs. 3.5 million in annual fees have no vacant seats, while colleges charging Rs. 1.8 million annually have several vacant seats.
The committee discussed whether authorities should lower the MDCAT passing requirement from the existing 60% to 50% to help fill vacant seats. Members also proposed that the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) reduce the proportion of difficult questions in the admission test.
Kamal questioned whether fees alone explained the vacant seats. “If high fees are an issue, why are there hardly any vacant seats in colleges that charge very high fees?” he asked.
The committee directed the PMDC to inspect private medical and dental colleges with vacant seats and submit a report identifying the reasons behind the vacancies within one month. Members also expressed concern over delays in providing information requested during an earlier meeting.
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