- Maryam Nawaz presides over health sector reforms meeting, fixes $10,000 fee for medical and dental admissions for overseas Pakistanis
- MDCAT declared mandatory, transparent fee mechanism introduced through UHS for private colleges
- CM celebrates first successful angioplasty in Sahiwal Cardiac Centre, vows free treatment for the poor
LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Thursday chaired a special meeting on health sector reforms during which she approved far-reaching decisions concerning admission policies for public and private medical and dental colleges, patient care facilities, and future medical infrastructure in the province.
The meeting granted formal approval to the new admission policy for Punjab’s medical and dental institutions. It was decided that the children of overseas Pakistanis will be admitted against a fixed fee of $10,000, while clearing the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) was declared mandatory for entry into government medical colleges.
مریم نواز کی زیرصدارت اجلاس، اوورسیز پاکستانیوں کے بچوں کیلئے ایم ڈی کیٹ فیس 10 ہزار ڈالر رکھنے کا فیصلہ، سرکاری میڈیکل کالجز میں داخلے کیلئے ایم ڈی کیٹ ٹیسٹ پاس کرنا ضروری قرار۔۔!! pic.twitter.com/U916tDT5tK
— Khurram Iqbal (@khurram143) September 26, 2025
To ensure transparency in private sector admissions, candidates securing seats will initially deposit one-third of the tuition fee with the University of Health Sciences (UHS). Once the final merit list is issued, UHS will transfer the collected amount to the concerned private medical or dental college, after which students will be required to submit the remaining fee directly to the respective institution.
Another important decision pertained to postgraduate training in private hospitals. It was agreed that after completing training, doctors will be required to render mandatory service. Specialist doctors will be deployed in line with demand, while trainee doctors will be guided towards specialization in relevant departments of private medical colleges.
Expressing satisfaction over the province’s expanding cardiology facilities, CM Maryam Nawaz welcomed the first successful angioplasty in Sahiwal, terming it a milestone for cardiac care. She described the commencement of surgeries at the Sahiwal Cardiac Centre as a “hope-giving development” for patients in the region.
The Chief Minister also reviewed measures to upgrade treatment facilities in major hospitals. She instructed Mayo Hospital to establish a foolproof and transparent system at its Ablation Centre for cardiac patients. Similarly, she issued directives to ensure that cancer patients are provided maximum relief, emphasizing that no cancer patient should be left untreated due to lack of resources.
In a significant policy shift, the meeting decided that instead of constructing separate buildings for new medical colleges, medical blocks would be set up within existing public universities. This, officials briefed, would help optimize infrastructure and resources while providing medical education in a cost-effective manner.
During the session, CM Maryam Nawaz also gave approval for the constitution of Boards of Management for different public health institutions across Punjab. She stressed that every poor patient admitted to government hospitals must have access to free treatment without spending a single rupee.
“My vision is to ensure that every cancer patient receives treatment, and no deserving patient is deprived of care,” the chief minister remarked. She further directed immediate steps for the establishment of the Nawaz Sharif Medical City, envisioned as a modern healthcare facility for advanced treatment and training.
The Punjab CM reiterated that Punjab’s health sector reforms are aimed at improving accessibility, affordability, and quality of care while making medical education more transparent and merit-based.
