Palestinian students’ permission limited to undergraduate clinical training: PMDC
The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) on Friday clarified that the permission granted to Palestinian students remained strictly confined to undergraduate clinical training.
In a letter to heads of medical and dental colleges, the PMDC said that the permission granted to Palestinian students does not extend to house jobs, postgraduate training, registration, or practice in any form.
Under the prevailing legal and regulatory framework, foreign nationals are not eligible for jobs, internship training, or the practice of medicine or dentistry in the country, the body said.
It added that foreign nationals who are graduates of Pakistan and are permitted under a specific programme, category or bilateral arrangement are exempt from the requirement.
The PMDC directed all institutions to adhere to the policy in letter and spirit strictly.
“Any admission, extension of training, house job placement, award or recognition of qualification, or any other step taken by an institution beyond the scope of the one-time humanitarian clinical-training arrangement shall be treated as a clear violation of the PMDC Act, 2022 and the regulations and policies framed thereunder, and shall render the institution concerned liable to regulatory action in accordance with law,” warned the body.
It urged the institutions to ensure that no fresh commitments, assurances, or facilitation are extended to Palestinian or other foreign students beyond what has been expressly permitted by PMDC.
In view of the Israeli atrocities and the prevailing situation in the enclave, the PMDC permitted medical and dental students from Gaza to complete their studies in Pakistan in 2024.
Reiterating the policy regarding the Palestinian medical and dental students from Gaza, the body said that they were facilitated by PMDC as a one-time humanitarian measure, solely to undertake the mandatory clinical training component of their undergraduate medical and dental education at selected institutions in Pakistan, in fulfilment of requirements prescribed by their respective degree-awarding institutions in Gaza.
“This arrangement was exceptional in nature, not to be construed as a continuing policy, precedent, or entitlement for further placement, admission, or clinical training of any subsequent cohort,” read the statement.
It further said that upon successful completion of training, primary medical/dental qualifications were to be awarded by the students’ own parent institutions, whereafter they were to return to Palestine to serve their communities, where their services are urgently required.
No institution in Pakistan has been authorised to award, co-award, or otherwise confer a degree or qualification upon these students.
The PMDC further said that no policy permits foreign nationals to appear in the National Registration Examination (NRE) under the law.
