ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on National Health Services (NHS) on Tuesday called for strict oversight and zero tolerance against malpractices in the Medical and Dental Colleges’ Admission Test (MDCAT).

A meeting of the committee was convened to deliberate on MDCAT, which is set to take place again. The meeting focused on reviewing the progress and arrangements made for the examination, particularly in the light of past challenges.

More than 22,000 students from Islamabad had submitted applications for appearing in the MDCAT-2024 held on September 22 this year.

The process of scrutiny and verification of applications was conducted in collaboration with PMDC under the prescribed notified eligibility criteria. Subsequently, more than 21,000 students appeared in the MDCAT 2024.

However, because of the allegation of out of course questions, Islamabad High Court (IHC) directed Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Medical University (SZABMU) to re-conduct the entrance test. The university had decided to hold MDCAT on November 24 but later due to unforeseen circumstances the re-conduct of MDCAT was postponed.

During the meeting, the committee members emphasised the importance of implementing stringent measures to ensure a smooth and transparent MDCAT.

The committee stressed the need for strong monitoring systems to be in place throughout the examination process. The members also urged the relevant authorities to take extra precautions to guarantee the security and fairness of the test to uphold its credibility.

The meeting also intended to include a briefing on the working and performance of Federal Government Polyclinic Hospital, Islamabad, and legislative matters related to national health services. However, due to the ongoing law and order situation in the capital, these discussions were deferred until the next meeting.

The committee reaffirmed its commitment to improving healthcare services and medical education and pledged to continue addressing these critical issues in future sessions.

The meeting was attended by MNAs Dr Shazia Sobia Aslam Soomro, Zahra Wadood Fatemi, Dr Shaista Khan, Dr Darshan, Sabheen Ghoury, Dr Nikhat Shakeel Khan, Aliya Kamran, Farah Naz Akbar and Raja Khurram Shehzad Nawaz.

Published in Dawn, November 27th, 2024