PMDC Bans New Medical Colleges for Three Years, Brings Back National Licensing Exam to Restore Education Standards

PMDC Bans New Medical Colleges for Three Years, Brings Back National Licensing Exam to Restore Education Standards

Nadeem Tanoli

Islamabad: The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has announced a sweeping overhaul of the country’s medical education system, unveiling two major reforms: a three-year nationwide ban on the establishment of new medical and dental colleges, and the reinstatement of the mandatory National Licensing Exam (NLE) for all graduates seeking to practice medicine or dentistry in Pakistan.

The measures, presented during a detailed briefing to the Senate Standing Committee on Health, respond to mounting concerns about the rapid spread of low-quality institutions and the alarming academic performance of medical students. Senator Atta ur Rehman had earlier highlighted the critical state of medical education, citing skyrocketing failure rates and substandard colleges lacking basic infrastructure.

The three-year moratorium on recognizing new colleges was introduced as a corrective step to halt the unchecked growth of private institutions and refocus regulatory attention on the quality of existing ones. According to the PMDC President, the decision is intended to “shift from quantity to quality.” The ban will allow the council to implement and enforce new, tougher accreditation standards, which are set to take effect in February 2025 and are aligned with global benchmarks. During this period, the PMDC plans to conduct thorough inspections of all 180 currently recognized colleges to assess their compliance with upgraded standards regarding teaching staff, infrastructure, and hospital affiliations.

One of the driving forces behind the moratorium is the shortage of qualified faculty across Pakistan’s medical institutions. PMDC officials stated that allowing more colleges to open without resolving this shortage would further degrade academic standards and directly impact the quality of future doctors and dentists.

Alongside the freeze, the PMDC announced the reintroduction of the National Licensing Exam (NLE), which had been controversially abolished in July 2022. The council’s President openly criticized the earlier decision to scrap the NLE, describing it as “probably the worst decision” for the medical sector and a serious blow to public health and professional integrity. He said the council is now acting swiftly to reverse that policy failure.

The reinstated NLE will be mandatory for all medical and dental graduates in Pakistan before they are granted a license to practice. The PMDC stressed that the exam will serve as a final safeguard to ensure only competent professionals are permitted to enter clinical practice. Senator Mohmand supported the initiative, arguing that quality control should not only apply to student admissions but to the “product that is coming out.”

The council also addressed a growing crisis involving graduates from foreign medical universities. PMDC’s internal evaluations revealed a staggering 99.99% failure rate among these graduates, raising serious questions about the standards of many overseas institutions. The NLE will now function as a transparent and uniform filter to determine whether such graduates are truly qualified to treat patients in Pakistan. Those who fail will not be granted licenses.

The reintroduction of the NLE and the moratorium on new colleges mark a major shift in PMDC’s regulatory strategy, replacing years of leniency and unchecked expansion with a firm commitment to quality, safety, and professional accountability. These reforms were met with broad support from Senate committee members