LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Monday directed the University of Health Sciences (UHS) to complete admissions by filling the 49 vacant seats of MBBS and BDS programmes in private medical colleges at the earliest and strictly on merit.

Justice Ayesha A Malik was hearing the petitions filed by several students of private medical colleges, challenging readmission policy of Punjab government and the UHS.

UHS Vice Chancellor Dr Javed Akram presented two lists before the court of the upgraded admissions of private medical colleges. The judge directed the university to submit a consolidated and final list of admissions by the next hearing.

The judge previously stayed a revised list of admissions and also the transfer of students of the private colleges under the readmission policy.

The students through their counsel argued that the they got admissions to different private medical and dental colleges in MBBS and BDS programmes and started their studies for 2019-20 session.

They said the provincial government and the UHS later introduced readmission policy on the pretext of violation of merit in the admissions. They said the university claimed to have received complaints from the students affected by the admission policy of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) under which the candidates were to choose three colleges at the most in their “order of preference”.

The petitioners said the government decided to seek fresh “order of preference” for all private medical and dental colleges of the province. They argued the readmission policy would affect their education.

They asked the court to set aside the impugned policy and order the UHS and the government to sustain admissions of the petitioners made under the PMDC policy.

Published in Dawn, May 5th, 2020