ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) and Pakistan Association of Private Medical and Dental Institutions (PAMI) have reached a consensus of fixing Rs1.8 million as the minimum standard fee for private medical colleges, while institutions charging fees above would be required to provide proper justification.

While reaffirming PMDC’s commitment to ensure strict implementation of the fee capping policy for medical and dental colleges across Pakistan, this was stated during an interactive meeting with media representatives by PMDC President Prof Dr Rizwan Taj, along with Dr Rehan Asghar Naqvi, Registrar of the Council, here on Thursday.

He briefed the media representatives on key achievements and ongoing initiatives of the Council, stating that several issues of public interest, including fee regulation, student welfare, and institutional compliance, were highlighted in detail.

Responding to a question regarding over-fee charging by some of the private medical educational institutions, PMDC officials warned that any institution seeking an enhanced fee cap up to a maximum of PKR 2.5 million must submit detailed financial justifications to the council. “Any request of fee increase will be evaluated through a proper valuation process, and will get approval by the PMDC only after due assessment,” they further maintained.

The PMDC president said that under the PMDC Act, 2023, the PMDC did not have the authority to directly reduce the fees of private medical colleges. However, he said the PMDC intervened to protect students and parents from excessive financial burden. He said the matter was taken up at the federal level and a high-level meeting chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister was held, in which representatives of private medical colleges were invited.—ABDUL RASHEED AZAD

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026