London, Nov 7 (IANS) The decline in registrations for Pakistan’s Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) expose deeper challenges facing the country’s medical education sector, a report has stated.
It noted that the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has linked the trend to high educational costs and poor pay, while the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has highlighted the gap between undergraduate medical output and postgraduate training opportunities.
“For generations of Pakistani families, becoming a doctor has represented more than a professional achievement. It has promised social standing, financial security and a career built around public service. Yet the numbers entering the country’s medical admission race tell a different story. Applications for the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) have fallen sharply, raising questions about whether medicine still offers young Pakistanis the future they once imagined,” a report in the British newspaper ‘Asian Lite’ detailed.
Citing official figures, the report highlighted a nearly 32 per cent decline in MDCAT registrations, from 204253 in 2022 to 138158 in 2026. The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has warned that high tuition fees and concerns over doctors’ remuneration are contributing to growing disillusionment with medicine as a career.
“The figures do not establish that every student turning away from the profession has the same motivation. However, the sustained decline has placed the country’s medical education system under renewed scrutiny. The fall comes as aspiring doctors face intense competition, expensive education, recurring controversies over entrance examinations and uncertainty about postgraduate training,” the report mentioned.
“For many, the question is no longer simply whether they can secure a medical college seat, but whether the long and costly journey towards becoming a practising specialist remains worth pursuing,” it stated.
According to the report, pursuing a medical degree involves a lengthy and financially demanding process, particularly for families seeking admission to private colleges. It added that tuition fees, accommodation, transportation, books, examination preparation and other living expenses significantly increase the overall cost of obtaining a medical degree.
“The financial pressure is especially significant when families must commit resources over several years without certainty about their children’s eventual earnings or employment. Students who cannot secure public-sector places may face a difficult choice between the expense of private education and pursuing another degree,” Asian Lite detailed.
The report further noted that Pakistan’s medical education sector has come under scrutiny over disparities in tuition fees. In August 2026, the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on National Health Services asked the concerned ministry and the PMDC to review vacant seats in medical colleges, variations in tuition fees and the oversight of institutions charging higher fees.
“The committee’s intervention highlighted a difficult tension: medical colleges may have available places while prospective students remain unable or unwilling to meet the financial cost of attending them,” it added.
–IANS
scor/as