ISLAMABAD: A subcommittee of the Senate Standing Committee on Health on Tuesday showed concerns over the increasing complaints regarding conduct and date of the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT).

During a meeting, chaired by Senator Anusha Rahman, members also showed annoyance over the absence of the health minister as the session was rescheduled because of him for the third time. The lawmakers announced that they will hold the meeting the next day even if the minister failed to attend. However, later, Minister Mustafa Kamal managed to attend the meeting.

The meeting was attended by vice chancellors of various universities, officials from the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) and committee members Senator Agha Shahzaib Durrani with Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri participating via video link.

PMDC officials briefed the committee, stating that the MDCAT would be conducted across 36 cities—35 in Pakistan and one in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. They confirmed that approximately 135,000 students are expected to sit the exam. Senator Anusha Rahman pointed out that 1,000 complaints had been received.

“You must understand how much difficulty people faced because of these issues,” she remarked.

She also criticised the academies which charge tens of thousands from candidates for the test preparations. She also said that students were complaining that FSc students were being forced to study A-Level books, and vice versa.

The PMDC officials clarified that the MDCAT was held on a single day each year and last year there were hardly any complaints.

The health minister defended the system. “Children are complaining, but the system always has room for improvement,” he said.

“Send those children to us; we will sit with them at the PMDC and listen to their concerns.”

When Senator Rahman asked why students go to academies and pay hefty amounts, Mr Kamal dismissed the concerns as a “mafia” of academies creating false panic. “In my opinion, our system is perfect,” he said.

Senator Samina Mumtaz raised the issue of overlapping dates between MDCAT and FSc/A-Level final exams. The PMDC officials responded that the final board exams concluded on July 20, leaving a three-week gap before the MDCAT.

Published in Dawn, July 22nd, 2026