Council chairman Dr. Rizwan Taj says excessive fees will either be refunded or adjusted in the next academic year
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PMDC) President, Dr. Rizwan Taj, said on Thursday that it had issued notices to 12 medical and dental institutions charging an annual fee above Rs 1.8 million, the ceiling fixed by the council.
In a session with media representatives, Dr. Get an overview of the council’s key achievements and ongoing initiatives. Several issues of public interest including fee regulation, student welfare and institutional compliance were discussed in depth.
The media representatives raised concerns that some medical and dental schools continued to charge fees exceeding Rs1.8 million. In response, Taj assured that the PMDC was closely monitoring all medical and dental institutions to ensure full compliance with the fee cap policy.
“The council has issued 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.
Read more: Medical colleges resist fee cap
Despite ongoing legal proceedings, Dr. Taj that an agreement had been reached with the Pakistan Association of Medical Institutions (PAMI). Under the agreement, the institutions would withdraw their lawsuits and ensure relief for students.
He said a follow-up meeting with PAMI was planned for the end of the month. During the next meeting, institutions seeking to increase their fees up to Rs2.5 million will ceiling, be directed to submit detailed financial justifications to the PMDC.
“Any request for a fee increase will be evaluated through a proper valuation process and will only be approved by the PMDC after a thorough assessment,” said Dr. Taj.
He reiterated that medical and dental schools felt that charging fees beyond the approved ceiling – unless they had obtained prior approval – would be required to provide relief to students.
“Any excessive fees will either be refunded to students or adjusted in the next academic year,” he added.
Taj further emphasized that the council had consistently issued public notices and information notices to advise students and parents not to pay fees in excess of the approved ceiling.
“Every aspiring student deserves access to the highest standard of medical and dental education,” he said, adding that quality medical education was a fundamental right for all students, regardless of their economic background or social status.
Last year, the federal government capped the annual tuition fees at Rs1.8 million. for MBBS and BDS programs in private medical and dental colleges.
The decision was made by the Committee for Medical Education Reforms, formed on the Prime Minister’s directive 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 a year — would be required to submit detailed financial justifications, including comparisons with similar institutions, services offered and academic improvements.
