By : Mehran Ajmal Khan
Islamabad: Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) boosted 240 seats of Azad Jamu and kashmir (AJ&K) in Punjab medical colleges upon the request of AJ&K government. The deduction of medical quota seats of underdeveloped areas in Punjab medical colleges was criticized over weeks of social media networks and also among the medical community. The decision of AJ&K medical seats enhancement is welcomed in medical community and demanding the same parameters for FATA and Baluchistan.
According to the official release of PMC a meeting was convened between the representatives of the Federal Government, the relevant Provincial Governments, the Government of AJ&K and HEC in conjunction with PMC regarding multiple requests issued by the Standing Committees of the Senate and the National Assembly relating to quota seats for Balochistan and FATA medical and dental college applicants. It was agreed that no over and above admissions can be allowed by PMC, however, a provincial government may apply to PMC for an emergency enhancement to regularize the past over and above quota seats, whose allocation shall not be in excess of 10% of the existing seat allocation of a college, or in very specific cases for exceptional reasons, up to 20% of the allocated admissions capacity of the relevant college.
The approval of these requests would be subject to the 2019 inspection reports of the relevant colleges. Any requests of emergency enhancement in excess of 10% would be subject to a comprehensive inspection of the relevant college within 6 months. The agreed policy would
only be applicable to public colleges and include an undertaking by the provincial government to ensure all facilities necessary to accommodate the enhancement of seats are provided for.
Subsequent to the meeting, a request from the Government of Punjab for enhancement of seats in public colleges in Punjab to accommodate different quota seats which, in the past, had caused admissions over and above the allocated admissions capacities, was received. The PMC, after due consideration and in pursuance of the agreed policy for public colleges,
granted enhancement of up to 10% of existing allocated seats of 13 public colleges in Punjab whereas in the case of two colleges, 20% enhancement was allowed for exceptional reasons, subject to inspection. As a result, 240 seats in a total of 15 public colleges in Punjab stand enhanced to primarily accommodate the quota seats which, in the past, had been accommodated on an over and above basis.
