University of Health Sciences has announced the Medical Colleges Admissions Test MCAT 2015.According to the schedule for Entry Test 2015 the MCAT will be held on 30th of August 2015.

For MBBS and BDS Sessions 2015-15 the entry test will be conducted according the following schedule.

Schedule of MCAT 2015 :

Entrance Test : Sunday, 30 August 2015.

Result of MCAT : 9th of Sep

Submission of admission forms from Oct 1 to Oct 9

First MBBS selection list on Oct 30

MBBS classes from Nov 16

First selection list of BDS on Dec 10

BDS classes from Dec 21

Entrance Test had been conducted according to a ‘Common-Core’ syllabus prepared by experts and approved by the competent authority. However, there have been some reservations of the candidates regarding English and Biology portions of the syllabus. The university, therefore, invited subject specialists in these two subjects and in the light of their recommendations, some minor adjustments have been made in the syllabus of these two subjects.

University of Health Sciences (UHS) Pro-Vice Chancellor Prof Junaid Sarfaraz Khan told the meeting that some 177 words which had no direct connotation with biomedical sciences had been deleted from the vocabulary list of the English section. Similarly, some topics in Biology had to be deleted as these were no longer part of the HSSC textbook taught in the institutes affiliated with Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Islamabad, published last year by National Book Foundation.

Prof Junaid assured the meeting that Entrance Test questions would be cross validated from the FSc and non-FSc textbooks published either by Punjab Textbook Board or National Book Foundation and the books prescribed for A-level students to avoid out-of-syllabus questions.

The board approved the syllabus for Entrance Test 2015 and allowed it to be uploaded on UHS website.

It made no changes to pattern of Entrance Test, PMDC weightage and self-scoring formulas for the paper.

However, it recommended 10 percent annual increase in the utility charges for hostels after every three years in order to meet the rising cost of utilities.

The issue of self-finance scheme for foreign students was also discussed at length in the board meeting. The meeting was informed that the Punjab government desired that the 76 seats earmarked for the Foreign Self Finance Scheme (FSF) might be converted into open merit seats for the wards of overseas Pakistanis.

The board chairman suggested that the federal government might be apprised of these proposed change as admissions against FSF seats were regulated by the Centre through Higher Education Commission (HEC), Islamabad, instead of Punjab and the process had already begun.

The Board emphasised that the provincial health department might urgently contact the federal government regarding admissions of overseas students and the consensus reached in this regard might be conveyed to the admission board for incorporation in the prospectus.

“It was agreed that until a decision in this regard was made and communicated to the board chairman, the procedure already in practice for admission of foreign students may be followed”, the board decided.

The board expressed concern over the existing disparity between the number of seats approved by the Punjab government and those recognised by the PMDC for various colleges. The data shared with the meeting showed marked difference in the allocation of seats by the Punjab government and the PMDC for the public sector medical colleges.

Like, the PMDC had approved 250 seats for Punjab Medical College, Faisalabad, while the government allowed 325 admissions to the institute.

Similarly, Nishtar Medical College (NMC) Multan admitted 325 students against 250 seats, Quaid-i-Azam Medical College (QMC) Bahawalpur 325 against 300, Nishtar Institute of Dentistry Multan 66 against 50, Services Institute of Medical College Lahore 200 against 150, Sheikh Zayed Medical College, Rahim Yar Khan, 150 against 100 and Nawaz Sharif Medical College Gujrat made 100 admissions against the 50 seats approved by the PMDC.

It was agreed that the difference in the number of seats was a serious issue as PMDC would not register the students admitted over and above the limit it approved for these colleges.

The board chairman said the matter had been brought into health department’s notice time and again.

The meeting observed that the main hurdle in the approval of these institutes for enhanced seats was faculty shortage.

The PMC, Faisalabad, principal pointed out in the meeting that the PMDC requirement for the faculty for any college got doubled when the number of seats crossed the 300 mark. The Gujranwala Medical College principal suggested that readjustment of seats might be a solution to the problem. Under readjustment, number of seats in all those colleges which had disparity with PMDC approved limit, could be curtailed upto 299 and, on the other hand, seats in newly-established colleges be increased so that the total number of seats in all the medical and dental colleges of Punjab would not be affected.

The meeting also showed serious concerns with regard to de-recognition of Sahiwal Medical College and non-recognition of Ghazi Khan Medical College, DG.Khan, by the PMDC.

Finally, the board decided that the issues of disparity of seats, de-recognition and non-recognition needed to be resolved at the earliest in the larger interest of students.

“The government should seek some cushion period or amnesty from PMDC to remove deficiencies in these colleges pointed out by its inspectors”, the meeting suggested.

Meanwhile, an explicit advice of the government would be required this year for the UHS to carry out admissions to these colleges as per the seat limit approved last year, the board recommended.

The board was informed that last year Entrance Test admissions schedule was announced three week earlier as compared to previous years which resulted in early start of classes.

Source : Dawn Newspaper