PMDC Under Fire for Failing to Regulate Fees

Nadeem Tanoli

Islamabad: The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on National Health Services on Monday strongly criticized the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) for its failure to regulate private medical colleges that continue to charge students exorbitant fees—up to Rs 4 million per year—in violation of official limits.

Lawmakers accused the PMDC of enabling a “culture of profiteering” and turning a blind eye to the commercialization of medical education, calling the situation a “national scandal in the name of education.”

Under existing PMDC rules, private medical and dental colleges are permitted to charge a maximum annual fee of Rs 1.8 million, with an upper ceiling of Rs 2.5 million for institutions meeting specific standards. However, committee members presented evidence that several colleges were demanding between Rs 3 million and Rs 4 million from students, well above the prescribed cap.

Despite the violations, lawmakers noted, the PMDC had taken no meaningful action beyond issuing show-cause notices. “What good are these letters if they lead to no action?” one member asked. “Students are being exploited while the regulator looks away.”

PMDC President informed the committee that twelve private institutions had been issued show-cause notices, while newly appointed Registrar Brigadier Zulfiqar Khan later clarified that fourteen medical and dental colleges had been formally served.

The list includes Ameer-ud-Din Medical College (Lahore), Shalamar Medical and Dental College (Lahore), Lahore Medical and Dental College (Lahore), Avicenna Medical College (Lahore), Multan Medical and Dental College (Multan), Islam Medical and Dental College (Sialkot), Sargodha Medical College (Sargodha), CMH Lahore Medical and Dental College (Lahore), Frontier Medical College (Abbottabad), Peshawar Medical College (Peshawar), Karachi Institute of Medical Sciences (Karachi), Liaquat National Medical College (Karachi), Bahria University Medical and Dental College (Karachi), and Jinnah Medical and Dental College (Karachi).

Each of these colleges has been directed to justify its fee structure by providing details of operational costs, faculty salaries, and infrastructure expenditures. However, the committee noted that none of the institutions had been suspended or deregistered despite clear violations.

Members also questioned whether PMDC’s leniency was deliberate, alleging collusion between certain council officials and private college owners. “Medical seats are being sold to the highest bidder while merit and fairness are being buried,” the committee’s chairman remarked.

Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal admitted that fee irregularities had spiraled out of control but defended the existing framework, saying variations were allowed to account for differences in infrastructure and quality. 

He assured the committee that detailed fee data would be collected from top medical universities, including Aga Khan University, Shifa International, and Liaquat National, to standardize assessments in the future.

Lawmakers, however, warned that unchecked commercialization was making medical education inaccessible for students from middle-income families, leading to an exodus of talent abroad. “Medicine has become an investment instead of a calling,” one member said. 

“When a degree costs Rs 4 million a year, compassion becomes secondary to the recovery of debt.”

The committee directed the PMDC to submit a verified report detailing all private college fee structures, regulatory measures, and disciplinary actions taken. It also urged the Ministry of Health to draft new rules empowering the council to impose fines, revoke registrations, and initiate criminal proceedings against repeat violators.