New Admission Policy Announced for Medical and Dental Colleges in Punjab

Lahore: A new admission policy has been approved for government and private medical and dental colleges in Punjab, introducing strict requirements for students.

The decision was made during a special health sector meeting chaired by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif in Lahore.

According to the policy, passing the MDCAT test has been declared mandatory for admissions in public medical colleges. For the children of overseas Pakistanis, the MDCAT fee has been set at 10,000 US dollars.

Candidates selected for private medical colleges will be required to deposit one-third of their tuition fee with the University of Health Sciences (UHS). This fee will later be transferred to the respective college. The remaining fee must be paid directly to the college after the merit list is issued.

It was also decided that doctors completing postgraduate training in private hospitals will have to serve in the medical field. Trainee doctors will be assigned to specialisations based on the demand for specialists in private medical colleges.

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz expressed happiness over the first successful angioplasty in Sahiwal, terming it a positive step. She directed that other cardiac centres in the province also be upgraded with modern facilities.

The CM further instructed the establishment of a transparent system for treatments at the Ablation Centre in Mayo Hospital and emphasised maximum relief for cancer patients.

The meeting also agreed to set up medical blocks in existing public universities instead of constructing new buildings for medical colleges.

Maryam Nawaz approved the Boards of Management for various institutions and stressed that poor patients should receive treatment in government hospitals without any financial burden.

She also directed immediate steps for the establishment of Nawaz Sharif Medical City, expressing her desire to ensure complete treatment facilities for cancer patients across Punjab.