The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has reportedly decided to halt the registration of new medical and dental colleges following government directives. According to sources, no applications submitted after January 5 will be considered, although 13 applications filed before this date remain under review.
Reason for the Ban
The decision stems from a shortage of faculty in medical institutions. Currently, Pakistan has:
- 121 private medical and dental colleges
- 66 public medical and dental colleges
Recent PMDC Actions
Last month, the PMDC also banned private medical and dental colleges from collecting fees, following a recommendation by the Senate Committee. The Medical Education Committee, led by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, is currently reviewing issues related to private medical institutions, including concerns over excessive fee collection—which has exceeded Rs15 million per student over the past five years.
