49,201 candidates to appear: UHS finalises arrangements for MDCAT 2026

LAHORE: The University of Health Sciences (UHS) has finalised comprehensive arrangements for the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) 2026, which will be held across Punjab on Sunday (today) at 31 examination centres in 15 cities.

A total of 49,201 candidates are registered for the test, including 36,633 females and 12,568 males. In Lahore, 12,030 candidates will appear, comprising 9,150 females and 2,880 males.

According to the centre-wise data, Lahore will have six examination venues: University of the Punjab Examination Hall, Wahdat Road (4,400 female); Lahore College for Women University (1600 female); University of Education, Township (1624 female); Divisional Public School, Township (881 male); BISE Examination Halls, Lawrence Road (2000 male); and COMSATS University Lahore Campus, Defence Road (1525 male) female).

The examination will be conducted under extensive security and monitoring arrangements. CCTV cameras will monitor entry and exit points as well as examination halls, while the Punjab Safe Cities Authority’s CCTV network will provide round-the-clock surveillance of the centres. NADRA biometric verification will also be carried out at the examination centres.

The 15 cities where MDCAT will be conducted are Lahore, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Multan, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Gujrat, Sargodha, Sahiwal, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, Rahim Yar Khan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Mianwali and Layyah.

The newly appointed UHS Vice Chancellor Maj Gen Prof Sohail Sabir (Retd) has personally reviewed the arrangements. On his first day in office, he received a detailed briefing on MDCAT preparations and subsequently visited examination centres in Lahore to inspect security, entry and exit arrangements and facilities for candidates. He has directed the concerned officials to remain vigilant and ensure smooth conduct of the examination.

The Punjab government has appointed Vice Chancellors and Pro Vice Chancellors of public-sector medical universities as Regional Incharges, while Principals of public-sector medical and dental colleges have been designated as Centre Incharges.

Senior faculty members have also been assigned responsibilities at the examination centres. Officers of the Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education Department have additionally been deputed to monitor the examination and arrangements.

Around 3,700 invigilators and supervisory staff will perform duties at the centres under the supervision of UHS Focal Persons. Training and final briefings of the supervisory staff have also been arranged at the respective centres.

The examination material has already reached the 14 cities outside Lahore. The question papers were dispatched in sealed steel trunks under police and district administration supervision and deposited in district treasuries for secure custody.

Senior UHS faculty members and officers accompanied the examination material during transportation.

A dedicated UHS Control Room has been established to maintain continuous contact with examination centres and coordinate arrangements before and during the test. District administrations, police and other departments have also completed arrangements concerning security, traffic, medical assistance, electricity and emergency response.

Section 144 has been imposed around examination centres, while walk-through gates, scanners, security personnel and medical facilities have been arranged. Special Branch and Civil Defence teams have also been tasked with technical sweeping of the venues before the examination.

UHS has directed candidates to reach their centres well before the examination. Entry will start at 7:30 a.m. and all centres will be closed and sealed at 9:00 a.m. No candidate will be allowed to enter after 9:00 a.m. The test will exactly commence at 10:00 am and conclude at 1:00 pm. Candidates must carry the latest MDCAT-2026 Admittance Card bearing the revised examination date of September 20 along with their original CNIC/Juvenile Card/Passport.

The test is being conducted by UHS for admission to public and private medical and dental colleges in Punjab.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026