The government of Sindh has sought assistance from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in order to prevent incidents of cheating and paper leakages during the Medical & Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT). The Sindh government has also written letters to the provincial health department and the Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PMDC) for the purpose. The government has requested the FIA to nominate seven officers of grade 18 who would visit the examination centers on the day of the exam.  In all, 38, 683 students will appear in the exam to be held in six cities of five divisions of the province. 

Amid allegations of paper leakages and mismanagement in and outside the six exam centers set up across Sindh, thousands of students appeared in the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) held simultaneously in five cities across Sindh on September 22, 2024. According to the officials of the Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS), which organized the test for the third consecutive year, a total of 1,945 MBBS seats had been allocated for the province’s public sector universities including 1,691 for open merit and 254 for self-finance.

Over 38,000 candidates had appeared in MDCAT, organized by Dow University. However, hours after the test, the Young Doctors Association (YDA) had alleged that the MDCAT paper was leaked before the start of the exam and demanded an investigation. A group of students staged a protest demonstration outside the DUHS and called upon the Sindh chief minister to take notice of their plight.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)