PIMA Rejects Proposed Changes to Medical, Dental Admission Criteria

Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA) has rejected the proposal to revise the criteria for medical and dental admissions, calling it unacceptable. Such proposals run contrary to the principle of merit and could weaken the existing transparent admission system.PIMA Central President Prof Atif Hafeez Siddiqui said that the MDCAT syllabus and examination were uniform across the country and that no serious objections were raised regarding the conduct of the test. He added that no incidents of corruption or malpractice were reported during the examination process. The system, he said, has been acceptable to all stakeholders, and admissions should be made strictly in accordance with the approved rules.He said that any reduction in merit at this stage would undermine the credibility of the MDCAT system. Compromising merit in the admission policy would adversely affect transparency, academic standards, and professional training, and could impact the quality of doctors entering the healthcare system.PIMA urged the government to avoid unnecessary changes to the existing admission policy, protect the current system, and ensure that decisions are taken in the national interest to maintain standards in medical education.