Graduates from other countries’ medical schools who did not pass the National Ranking Exam (NRE) protested in front of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), requesting that the passing score for the National Examination Board (NEB) be lowered from 70% to 50%.
At 10:30 a.m., PMDC President Prof. Dr. Rizwan Taj met with a group of international medical school alums. He listened to the graduates’ complaints and informed them that the 70 percent threshold had been decided upon by the academic board.
The request of the students would be taken into consideration, he continued, but it would be impossible to change the format of a previously administered exam. He told them the issue will be brought before the Council as soon as possible for additional discussion and a decision.
NUMS under PMDC’s conducted NRE
National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS) under PMDC’s oversight transparently administered the NRE. The PMDC website already has the result that was obtained from NUMS that day. To make it easier for graduates, the NRE was held in four different cities across Pakistan: Lahore, Rawalpindi, Karachi, and Peshawar.
He also mentioned that the PMDC Academic Board had been established and will be in charge of all future NRE, NEB, and MDCAT examinations.
According to the President, the NRE test is administered so that only competent physicians are chosen to treat patients in Pakistan. Patients’ lives are too valuable to risk on inexperienced medical professionals/graduates, which is why this test exists. PMDC is a law-abiding institution that takes its responsibilities seriously.
The Registrar instructed the staff to serve the grads water and allow them to protest without interference during the demonstration. Globally, countries hold exams for international medical school graduates in an effort to recruit the best and brightest medical professionals.
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