ISLAMABAD: In a historic verdict for upholding merit for admission in medical schools, the Supreme Court of Pakistan Thursday threw out a petition seeking admission in medical colleges without Medical And Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) – a mandatory entry test for making it to medical schools.

A three-judge bench comprising Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, and Justice Munib Akhtar heard the appeals filed by students of a private college from Faisalabad against MDCAT.

The apex court, in its order, said that the test is mandatory for medical college admissions even if private colleges conduct tests of their own.

The Supreme Court in its five-page verdict upheld the January 2021 ruling of the Lahore High Court (LHC), which had ruled that there would be no admission in any medical school without the mandatory entry test.

The appeals were filed by the students of a private college from Faisalabad.

PMC approached to extend deadline for MDCAT application

They had cleared the test for a private medical college but had failed MDCAT and their admissions were subsequently cancelled earlier this year.

However, the apex court ruled that under the rule, the students applying to any medical or dental college are required to clear the MDCAT irrespective of the college being run by the government or privately.

The court ruled that private colleges were not allowed to circumvent MDCAT with their home-developed tests as the test is a legal requirement protected by the Pakistan Medical Commission Act, 2020.

“Any student seeking admission in any medical or dental college shall mandatorily be required to have passed the MDCAT examination held by PMC. The passing marks for the MDCAT examination shall be 60 percent,” said the court order.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021