ISLAMABAD0-The Pakistan Medical Commission’s (PMC) ambiguous admission policy for medical colleges of the city has raised students’ concerns of nepotism in the preparation of merit lists of the private institutions.
While the PMC claims that the admissions have been closed in all public and private medical and dental colleges of the city, parents said that still process of upgradation of students is underway and nepotism is being followed in it.
However, parents and PMC officials both said that still number of applications is being filed in the commission for upgradation of the candidates’ seats in the medical colleges of higher merit.
Ismail Baloch, a father while sharing admission documents of her daughter said that they paid Rs1.1 million fee in HBS medical college.
He said that as per the first merit list of Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University (SZABMU), his daughter’s marks were 84.97 per cent and they submitted fee in HBS medical college following the merit and instructions.
Ismail Baloch added that PMC in its policy had said that all private and medical colleges and Federal Medical and Dental College had to accommodate all pending cases of upgradation according to their placement and preferences given.
He said that HBS Medical and Dental College was the 4th on placement led by Al-Nafees College on 3rd, Islamabad Medical and Dental College (IMDC) on the 2nd, while Shifa College of medicine was on the first.
“Now the merit of Shifa College of Medicine has dropped to 80 per cent, but admission of my daughter has not been upgraded by PMC,” he claimed.
The application filed with the PMC said that the merit list was displayed and the applicant was not upgraded rather six students having less merit as compared to those applicants who have been given admission in the next institution i.e., IMDC. It is requested to upgrade the student to the next preference of IMDC in accordance with the regulations.
SZABMU’s latest merit list closed on January 21 said that merit of top ranked private medical college dropped to the aggregate of 80.68 per cent.
The father of the applicant said that PMC notified closure of upgradation on December 21, 2019.
“Parents were kept in dark about upgradation policy before they submitted heavy amounts in fee, meanwhile still merit lists are being displayed,” he said.
Meanwhile, Vice President (VP) PMC Ali Raza talking to The Nation said that no upgradation is being done after the final list was displayed on December 31, 2019.
However, he said that daily number of applications for upgradation is being filed at PMC and parents are being informed that it is not possible.
The PMC vice president also said that all medical colleges are providing almost the same education standard and ranking them with aggregate is not a scale.
He maintained that it was a clear decision in the minutes that upgradation will be not done after closing of admissions as the admissions cannot be continued till long.
The PMC VP claimed that there is no confusion in the admission process as everything is transparent.