The Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services Regulations and Coordination (NHSRC) has expressed strong condemnation over the leak of the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) conducted on September 22, 2024.
Initially, officials from the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) dismissed the allegations, with universities responsible for the exam also refuting the claims. However, student complaints escalated the matter to the Sindh High Court, which subsequently suspended the MDCAT results announced by Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) and formed an investigative committee. The committee includes representatives from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), two secretaries, and a PMDC nominee.
The controversy intensified when the FIA’s forensic report confirmed that the MDCAT exam was leaked 13 hours before its scheduled time. This revelation raised questions about the integrity of the examination process. Senator Amir Waliuddin Chishti, during the committee’s session, criticized the evident discrepancies, citing that some students who had barely passed their matriculation and intermediate exams had miraculously scored as high as 197 out of 200 on the MDCAT.
To restore public trust and safeguard the credibility of future examinations, Senator Chishti directed the PMDC to present a comprehensive plan for improving the MDCAT by December 2024. He also proposed key reforms, including conducting future exams through IT-based systems to prevent leaks and ensuring transparency by making the “Question Bank” public. This, he said, would address the recurring complaints about “Out of Syllabus” questions that have long plagued the test.
The MDCAT scandal has sparked nationwide outrage among students, parents, and educators, with calls for accountability and systemic changes to prevent such incidents in the future. The PMDC is now under pressure to take swift action and restore faith in the medical education admission process.