Sadam Hussain
Each year, thousands of students in Sindh face an extremely competitive MDCAT for admission into med schools. DUHS, a prestigious medical institute, fairly re-conducted this year’s on 19 Nov after the nullification of 10 Sep JSMU’s results due to certain allegations. But the exam, like its predecessor, is being set for the recent concerning trend in Pakistan where post competitive exams, certain elements abroad exploit discontent students; manipulating fake merit lists before results, sparking protests, and pressuring the government to annul results and hold a re-conduct. The reality of disappointment is inherent in the globally competitive field of medicine. In the case of Sindh, only 2,000 public medical college seats are available for 41,000 candidates, resulting in a mere 0.04% acceptance rate. This raises the question: do failed students have the right to fuel propaganda against the exam’s prestige and demand yet another re-conduct that previously perpetuated a cycle of distrust and upheaval? Such actions not only harm meritorious students but also tarnish the fragile reputation of Pakistan’s medical schools when looking at its broader ramifications; impacting an applicant’s profile when applying for foreign examinations like USMLE and PLAB. Through this letter, I want to appeal to CM Sindh Justice (R) Maqbool Baqar, Health Minister Dr. Saad Khalid Niaz, and VC DUHS Dr. Muhammad Saeed to immediately release the results instead of succumbing to the pressure of baseless allegations; so that the propaganda-spreading elements must face defeat. With merit no more compromised and no delays to an already delayed admission process, Pre-med students will breathe relieved sighs. As would Pakistan’s reputation in global medicine remain unscathed.
