ISLAMABAD, August 7, 2025 — Students and parents across Pakistan are calling on the federal government and the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) to allow MDCAT 2025 test centres in Islamabad for candidates holding provincial domiciles.
They argue that the current policy forces students to travel long distances to their home provinces, creating unnecessary logistical and financial burdens.
“Students living in Islamabad still must travel to their home provinces. PMDC doesn’t consider the difficulties families face,” said a Member of the National Assembly (MNA).
📌 PMDC Consults Universities, Faces Resistance
A PMDC official confirmed that the Council has already discussed the matter with university vice-chancellors, who rejected the proposal to allow outside-province candidates to sit for MDCAT in Islamabad.
Last year, approximately 2,000 students from Balochistan appeared for MDCAT through SZABMU in Islamabad. However, a legal stay on the results caused significant delays in the admission processes of Balochistan, Sindh, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
🏛️ Proposal for New Centres in Islamabad
The PMDC now plans to request provincial universities to establish MDCAT centres in Islamabad specifically for residents holding provincial domiciles.
“We will assist with logistics,” said the PMDC official. “Only a few centres are needed. We believe the vice-chancellors will agree.”
Students and parents have welcomed the initiative but stress the need for quick implementation as the MDCAT exam date approaches.
For related information, see:
🔗 Students allowed to change venue, varsity for MDCAT 2023
🔎 Background: PMDC’s Domicile Policy
According to a recent report by Dawn, the PMDC continues to require that candidates sit the MDCAT in the province of their domicile, a policy now under increasing scrutiny from students based in the federal capital.
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