45 medical colleges accused of overcharging students

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Health has expressed concern over delays in implementing a decision to extend the validity of Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) results to three years, while seeking action against private medical colleges allegedly charging students fees beyond the approved limits.

During a meeting chaired by Dr Mahesh Kumar on Wednesday, the committee was informed that 45 private medical colleges had allegedly collected additional fees from students. Some institutions were reportedly demanding up to Rs600,000 over and above the officially approved charges.

Health Minister Mustafa Kamal told the committee that the Ministry of Health had approved a proposal to increase the validity period of MDCAT results from the existing duration to three years. However, he said the proposal had subsequently been forwarded to the federal cabinet for consideration.

Committee member Dr Shazia Soomro drew attention to alleged violations by private medical colleges, questioning why students were being charged amounts exceeding the prescribed fee structure.

The president of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) informed the committee that show-cause notices had been issued to the institutions involved. Following the briefing, members sought inspection reports of private medical colleges for the last two years to examine the alleged overcharging and regulatory compliance.

The meeting also witnessed a heated exchange between the health minister and Dr Soomro over the investigation into affairs at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS).

Dr Soomro questioned the lack of further action on the inquiry findings and demanded a detailed audit report explaining how Rs22 billion allocated to the hospital over the past three years had been spent.

In response, Mustafa Kamal maintained that the Ministry of Health had already acted on the recommendations of its own inquiry. He added that responsibility for conducting further investigations had been assigned to the Ministry of Interior.