DLP Report
PESHAWAR
Foreign medical graduates have urged the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) to withdraw its July 31 notification imposing new conditions on graduates who had enrolled in foreign medical institutions under rules previously recognised by the council, warning that the move could jeopardise the careers of thousands of doctors.
Speaking at a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club (PPC) on Monday, Dr Waqas Akbar, Dr Noor Rehman, Dr Hina and Dr Nawaid, along with other affected graduates, called upon the federal government, PMDC and relevant institutions to provide them legal protection and ensure their rights were not undermined by retrospective changes in policy.
The speakers said thousands of Pakistani students had enrolled in foreign medical universities when those institutions were included in the PMDC’s recognised list. They said students and their families had invested their life savings in medical education in reliance on the rules and regulations in force at the time of admission.
They said new conditions introduced through notifications issued on September 8, 2025 and July 31, 2026 were now being applied to students who had already enrolled or completed their medical education, creating uncertainty about their professional futures.
Dr Waqas Akbar demanded that the PMDC withdraw the July 31 notification and implement the Peshawar High Court’s April 2, 2026 decision in letter and spirit. He alleged that the notification adversely affected the legal, educational and professional rights of foreign medical graduates.
The graduates questioned why doctors from universities recognised internationally and eligible to pursue licensing or assessment processes in countries including Australia, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States should be prevented from appearing in Pakistan’s National Registration Examination.
They demanded that the September 2025 and July 2026 notifications should not be applied retrospectively to students who had already enrolled or graduated. According to them, any new policy or eligibility criteria should apply only to students enrolling in foreign medical institutions in the future.
The graduates also called for students who enrolled or completed their education before the new notifications to be allowed to proceed with temporary registration, the National Registration Examination and other relevant registration processes under the rules applicable at the time of their admission.
They stressed that they were not seeking any special concession, exemption or compromise on professional standards, but only an opportunity to establish their eligibility in accordance with the law.
The speakers appealed to President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal, Parliament, the PMDC, human rights organisations and other relevant institutions to take immediate notice of the matter.
They said the issue involved not only a limited number of graduates but the future of thousands of doctors and their families who had spent years and substantial financial resources pursuing medical education.
Dr Waqas Akbar urged the authorities to formulate a clear, permanent and fair policy in accordance with the Constitution, law and the Peshawar High Court’s judgment, and to ensure that students who had relied on previously applicable government rules were not deprived of their legitimate rights.
