TAHIR AMIN

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services recommended Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PMDC) to arrange uniform entry test for medical colleges across the country, besides restricting a candidate to appear in these exams for three attempts only.

The committee met with Senator Nauman Wazir Khattak in the chair here on Tuesday, where it was revealed that Shifa College of Medicine and other medical colleges are not entitled/ eligible to conduct entry tests/exams for medical colleges as per rules and regulations. Every province and the federal capital have the authority to conduct entry tests/exams for admission in medical colleges.

The committee also asked Shifa Hospital Islamabad to present record of patients who were given free of cost treatment during last year. The committee expressed annoyance over delay in getting working papers. The committee also reviewed the recommendations given during last meetings of the committee.

The officials of PMDC informed the committee that there is a proposal to cut five marks of the candidate on the second or more appearances in the entry test and it would be presented before the Council.

The committee members said that some candidates appear in the entry tests for admission in medical college every year. The committee recommended that there should be three chances for a candidate.

The officials of PMDC informed the committee that every province has quota in all medical colleges and there is a regulatory authority for all provinces and federal capital which has the power for holding entry tests for medical colleges, but medical colleges have no authority to conduct entry tests.

About the audit report of Shifa International, Islamic International College and Ripha University, the committee decided to review these audit reports in the next meeting after going through it.

The committee members have yet to receive the audit report from Shifa Hospital. Some senators including Mian Muhammad Attique Sheikh and Ghaus Mohammad Khan Niazi said that the sub-committee thoroughly reviewed the hospital matters.