PMDC Takes Action Against Private Medical Colleges Over Fee Violations

PMDC Takes Action Against Private Medical Colleges Over Fee Violations

The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has issued notices upon 14 privately operated medical colleges which are charging tuition fees that are well above the officially fixed fee of 1.8 to 2.5 million per annum. The reports submitted at one of the sittings of the Standing Committee of Health of the National Assembly, made it known that certain institutions were exacting sums of between Rs. 3 and 4 million per annum, which was equivalent to outrage on the part of legislators. The problem was exposed due to many complaints raised by the students and parents who accused the private colleges of taking advantage of their financial desperation to buy medical seats.

This issue was seriously observed by the Committee Chairman Dr. Mahesh Kumar Malani who criticized PMDC officials on why they did not enforce the strict compliance of the regulations. He ordered the PMDC to publish the names of the colleges violating it publicly, as well as the date of the notices and the ongoing disciplinary action. Dr. Malani underlined that the institutions should be severely punished when found guilty of overcharging their students, including the possibility of their registration.PMDC also conduct MDCAT Test on October 26th, 2025 (Sunday).

Legislators Criticize PMDC and Require Transparency

The session in the committee became strained as the president of PMDC first refused to disclose the list of colleges that the PMDC was going to participate in, and was aggressively challenged by the committee members on the grounds that the council was shielding the influential institutions. Upon further questioning, the Registrar of PMDC Dr. Rehan Naqvi announced the names of the 14 colleges on record and assured the lawmakers that they would take action against all the non-complaining colleges through the imposition of penalties.

The issue of fee manipulation in the private medical institutions had also become widespread with Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal admitting the same to the committee. He declared that the government was going to roll out a nationwide verification survey, beginning with Islamabad, to check what is really being charged in terms of tuition buildings, in the process of admissions. Any college that is caught charging above the stipulated limit will be expected to prove the reasons why it has done so in front of the committee, which once again, reaffirmed the ministry to defend the rights of students.

The committee members emphasized that the PMDC should act proactively and not respond to the complaints raised by the people. They cautioned against commercialization of medical education without control since it was scaring away good students with a big dream of becoming doctors and incapacitated them because of lack of finance. The lawmakers lamented that medical education was a right of those who deserved it and not a privilege of the rich.

Fears of Increasing Fees and Effect on Students

At present, there are 188 medically recognized colleges in Pakistan with 122 of them being privately owned. Of greater concern, lawmakers pointed out that these institutions have gradually evolved medical admissions into a bidding war as the seats are being essentially auctioned to the most lucrative offeror. These practices do not only lead to violation of merit-based admissions, but also create disparities within the healthcare sector, as students who deserve admission are left out because of financial limits.

The move by the PMDC has been embraced by education experts and parents however there have been calls to ensure a steady monitoring process and implementation of transparent fee regulation system. They stressed that to make sure that institutions do not quietly hike their charges or charge hidden fees under the banner of other disciplines like donations or development fund, annual audits, and surprise inspections should be made.

The committee also advised the Health Ministry to ensure the institution has a public database that all medical colleges can post their approved fee structure, accreditation state and discipline measures imposed on them. Such openness, according to lawmakers, would deter exploitation and enable the students to make more informed decisions when they are in the process of admission.

Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal assured the committee that reforms are in the offing to strengthen the monitoring system of PMDC and to make certain that all the private medical institutions are running under the same and clear cut fee policy. He once again pointed out that there would be stern action against habitual offenders, such as possible suspension of licenses and shutdown of programs that do not pass the standards of compliance.

In the face of the investigation, this event has sparked the debate on the affordability of medical education in Pakistan back to life. It is hoped that the government should not only control the fees, but also give more investment in the government medical institutions to make it accessible to deserving students. Indeed, the move that was made by the PMDC against these 14 colleges is a major step in the accountability direction, however education activists believe that permanent reforms are needed in the medical education system in Pakistan so as to bring about accountability, merit and accessibility.