Thousands of Foreign Medical Graduates are facing abrupt uncertainty after the Pakistan Medical & Dental Council effectively suspended provisional registrations and instructed hospitals to halt induction of foreign-qualified doctors without issuing any formal explanation.
The situation has left hundreds of returned graduates who completed degrees abroad and passed equivalency checks unable to start their mandatory one-year training, even though existing PMDC rules permit foreign-qualified Pakistani graduates from recognized institutions to begin a house job before taking the National Registration Examination.
“If PMDC needed to assess the quality of foreign universities, that process should have been done country by country before allowing students to enrol,” said Dr. Rafey Sher, the elected representative for Foreign Medical Graduates in Pakistan, describing the move as an administrative decision that penalises students after they have completed five to six years of study overseas.
The lack of a public policy document or circular explaining the halt has prompted questions from journalists, parliamentarians and legal analysts. Foreign Medical Graduates highlight four core concerns: no official clarification for denying house jobs despite legal provision, absence of transitional protection for those who returned before any policy changes, failure to conduct country-wise quality assessments before enrolment, and a persistent communication gap from the regulator.
FMGs are urging immediate remedial steps including a public clarification from PMDC on eligibility for house jobs under current law, restoration of provisional registration for eligible graduates, transitional protections for those already in Pakistan with recognised degrees, and transparent, country-wise evaluation criteria for foreign medical universities moving forward.
Stakeholders warn that leaving thousands of young doctors unable to begin clinical training threatens workforce planning and patient care capacity across Pakistan. Foreign Medical Graduates stress that their inclusion is a legal right and a practical necessity for the health system, and they call on PMDC to resolve the impasse without further delay.
