KARACHI: The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) recently demanded the federal government to retake the National Medical & Dental College Admission Test (NMDCAT) for the sake of medical students and restore the Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PMDC).
These views were shared by Dr S M Qasir Sajjad, Secretary-General, PMA, Sindh, during a press conference held at the PMA House. Dr Qazi Muhammad Wasiq, Treasurer, PMA, Dr Mirza Ali Azhar, President, PMA, Dr Abdul Ghafoor Shoro, General Secretary, PMA, Parents of an NMDCAT candidate Mian Zahid, and Sheheryar Ahmed, another NMDCAT aspirant, also spoke at the conference.
“PMA is very concerned over the current situation in the country due to mismanagement in the NMDCAT exam. It was conducted in such a baffling way that consequently, students all over Pakistan are on roads against it. They are protesting against the flaws it had due to which all the stakeholders are questioning its transparency.” said Dr Qasir Sajjad
He explained that controversy began initially when the NMDCAT conducting contract was awarded to a private firm after the advertisement deadline. Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules were breached by awarding the contract to a company with zero experience in conducting such exams. Even Transparency International Pakistan (TIP) pointed out the violations of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules in award of the NMDCAT contract to a company named SOAR Testing and Evaluation Platform (SMC).
“The exams held online were conducted in a chaotic atmosphere and riddled with administrative problems. The software and hardware used by the PMC for the exams malfunctioned, and the servers hosting the exams were frequently down. The hard work of the students was wasted due to the poor examination system. The students were not given the right to complain or get their papers reassessed or scrutinized. The internet at the centres was not working, which resulted in many answers not being recorded and scored. The system has a technical fault because skipped, or edited questions do not get scored.” he added.
He said that the PMA believes that students are correct in asking to cancel the NMDCAT due to its alleged technical flaws. It was another blunder that the PMC introduced an online examination system without doing trials and taking stakeholders on board. Now they are getting information about spots. In the past, tests were held on answer sheets, and carbon copies were provided to students right after the exam. Later, a key was uploaded on the website, due to which candidates never argued over exam results.
“It is deplorable that instead of resolving the issue of innocent students, our government decided to take violent measures towards protesting students, who were tortured brutally, and many were sent to jail. This harsh attitude of the government towards students is not acceptable.”, said the Secretary-General, PMA.
“From day one, the PMA has opposed the National Licensing Examination (NLE) as well, which has been made compulsory for young doctors to pass after graduation to obtain a full license to practice. This shows that you do not have trust over the medical education system, despite this new Act.” he further added.
“The other problem with this decision will be the sudden emergence of coaching centres in the country. In the name of preparing the students for ‘Exit Exams’, they will charge hefty fees from already overburdened parents. The financial overload will increase manifold for the parents who want to educate their children. NLE should be abolished, and standards of undergraduate medical education should be improved.” he expressed.
“PMA had been demanding for many years now to form a democratic, autonomous, independent and transparent body to regulate medical education in the country but unfortunately, in contrast to our demand, the government passed an undemocratic and controversial Act to form the PMC. The PMC Act is undemocratic and allows Prime Minister to nominate the council.” he concluded.
The Secretary-General demanded the government to cancel the results of MDCAT and reschedule it so that it is held on a single day all over Pakistan, ensuring fairness among candidates. The MDCAT should be conducted transparently, and a carbon copy should be provided to all candidates to give complete clarity. All the stakeholders should be taken on board before making any significant decisions regarding Medical Education in the country. He suggested that the contract to conduct the MDCAT should be awarded to some reputable local company on merit, and the NLE exam should be abolished.
The Young Doctors of Baluchistan have also boycotted the OPDs at public hospitals in Baluchistan against lack of facilities and alleged privatization of public hospitals. Due to this closure, the poor patients are suffering. The government should immediately negotiate with young doctors to resolve the issue, the PMA also stated.
“PMA strongly condemns the brutal violence against peaceful doctors in Islamabad who were protesting against National Licensing Exam (NLE). It is a failure on the part of the government that doctors are on the roads for their genuine demands and facing violence by law enforcement agencies. The government is going against democratic norms. Doctors are the cream of society; the government should have resolved their problems before their protest. They should react wisely and negotiate with protesting doctors to resolve the issue.” said the issued statement.
“PMA believes that PMC should always consult provincial governments and other stakeholders in the process of regulating medical education in the country. Otherwise, these provinces will be left with no option other than to form their own regulatory bodies for medical education in their respective provinces.” it concluded.