ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Medical and Dental Council on Thursday directed University of Health Sciences, Lahore to receive admission applications of the students having federal city domicile.
After the notification, the UHS Lahore also said that there was no restriction on students with Islamabad domicile to apply for admission in public sector medical and dental colleges of Punjab.
Earlier, the UHS Lahore had sought admission applications from the applicants only having the domicile of Punjab for open merit seats in public sector medical and dental colleges.
However, the advertisement for MDCAT test had allowed the students with Islamabad domicile to appear in the test.
UHS had conducted the MDCAT test from July 15 to 18 this year when students having Islamabad domicile were appearing in the medical test of Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University (SZABMU) admission test.
UHS in the same dates had conducted the MDCAT for ten medical and three dental colleges of the public sector.
Students and parents had protested against the decision of University of Health Sciences for not accepting the applications from Islamabad students.
Parents and students of the federal city while staging a protest outside PMDC had declared it violation of rules and discrimination with students.
They stated that as per policy the UHS was bound to accept the result of MDCAT conducted by SZABMU in province, but now the UHS, Lahore was depriving students from their right of applying in the public sector medical colleges of the Punjab.
PMDC in the letter written to the Vice Chancellor (VC) UHS directed him to receive applications of admission of Islamabad domicile students in public medical and dental colleges of Punjab.
It also said that there is no change in policy of admission and UHS shall continue the practice following the policy.
Letter issued by registrar office PMDC said Consequent upon desperate complaints by the students from Islamabad who have appeared in MDCAT test in University of Health Sciences Lahore, it is categorically clarified that, “There is no change in MBBS and BDS (Admission, house Job and Internship) Regulations between 2018 and 2019 as in Section 9(2) of above both policies”.
It further said that University of Health Sciences, Lahore shall continue admission in MBBS/BDS as per practice and policy in 2018.
The letter also added that the competent authority has directed that University of Health Sciences, Lahore shall take immediate necessary steps according to policy of admission in MBBS/BDS for the students who appeared in MDCAT 2019 conducted by University of Health Sciences.
“In view of a very short time left to receive applications from students (Deadline is 30-09-2019), University of Health Sciences is directed to take immediate action and start receiving admission applications from the aforementioned students,” said the letter.
VC UHS, Lahore Prof. Dr. Javed Akram talking to The Nation said that he welcomes the notice issued by the PMDC as it has paved the way for the students from Islamabad to apply in the medical colleges.
He said that now the students with Islamabad domicile can apply for admission in public sector medical and dental colleges of the Punjab.
VC UHS also said that he supports PMDC decision while UHS played key role for this decision to solve the problems of Islamabad based students.
