Council Chairman Dr Rizwan Taj said the excessive fees will either be refunded or adjusted in the next academic year.
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) Chairman Dr Rizwan Taj on Thursday said he had issued show cause notices to 12 medical and dental establishments that were charging annual fees exceeding Rs 1.8 million, the ceiling set by the council.
In a session with media representatives, Dr Taj provided an overview of the council’s key achievements and ongoing initiatives. Several issues of public interest, including tuition regulation, student welfare and institutional compliance, were discussed in depth.
Media representatives have raised concerns that some medical and dental colleges continue to charge fees exceeding the ceiling of Rs 1.8 million. In response, Taj assured that the PMDC was closely monitoring all medical and dental institutions to ensure full compliance with the fee capping policy.
“The council has issued show cause notices to 12 medical colleges and universities, and we are currently evaluating 40 more cases after their petitions were rejected by the court and subsequently referred to the PMDC,” he said.
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Despite ongoing legal proceedings, Dr Taj announced that an agreement had been reached with the Pakistan Association of Medical Institutions (PAMI). Under the agreement, the institutions would withdraw their litigation and provide relief to students.
He said a follow-up meeting with PAMI was planned for the end of the month. In the next meeting, institutions seeking to increase their fees up to the ceiling of Rs2.5 million would be directed to submit detailed financial justifications to the PMDC.
“Any request for fee increase will be assessed through an appropriate evaluation process and will be approved by the PMDC only after a thorough assessment,” Dr Taj said.
He reiterated that medical and dental faculties felt it would be necessary to charge fees beyond the approved ceiling – unless prior approval was obtained – to provide relief to students.
“Any excessive fees will either be refunded to students or adjusted during the next academic year,” he added.
Taj further pointed out that the board has consistently issued public notices and awareness messages to advise students and parents not to pay fees beyond the approved ceiling.
“Every aspiring student deserves to have access to the highest level of medical and dental education,” he said, adding that quality medical education was a fundamental right for all students, regardless of their financial situation or social status.
Last year, the federal government capped annual tuition fees at Rs 1.8 million for MBBS and BDS programs in private medical and dental colleges.
The decision was taken by the Committee on Medical Education Reform, formed on the directive of the Prime Minister and chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister.
The PMDC had clarified that institutions seeking to charge more – up to a maximum of Rs 2.5 million per year – would be required to submit detailed financial justifications, including comparisons with similar institutions, services offered and academic improvements.
