Distressed foreign medical graduates protest outside PMC over blacklisting of universities
Students share that they are worried because they have already paid hefty tuition fees to universities blacklisted by the PMC
March 16, 2021
ISLAMABAD: Foreign medical graduates are once again protesting outside the Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) on Tuesday on the Commission's decision to blacklist various foreign medical colleges.
“Our universities have been blacklisted. The future of foreign qualified medical students is at stake because of the blind decisions being made by the authority," the protesting students complained.
Read more: Foreign medical graduates protest PMC's blacklisting of universities in Islamabad
They said they are worried because they have already paid hefty tuition fees to the universities now blacklisted by the Commission.
Last year in November, the PMC had issued a list of foreign undergraduate colleges that it recognises.
In its statement, the Commission had notified that foreign universities have been classified into three categories.
The colleges assessed and recognised by the Commission came under the Green List.
"Qualifications issued by these colleges shall be recognised by the Commission for licensing in Pakistan," read the PMC statement.
Read more: PMC's 'important' announcement regarding recognition of foreign colleges
Then comes the Grey List. "These are colleges which are under assessment for purposes of recognition as per the criteria determined by the Council," according to the statement. "Verification of these colleges is awaited from public authorities and governments of the countries in which these colleges are based."
Colleges named under the Black List have been "assessed and refused recognition" for failing to meet mandatory criteria.
The colleges in the Black List can apply for verification after one year given the "requisite assessment criteria have been fulfilled", the statement said.
