• Applications plunge from 204,253 in 2022 to 138,000 this year
• Association calls trend ‘structural decline’; high tuition fees, poor pay blamed

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) on Monday warned that a sharp decline in candidates appearing for the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) signals growing disillusionment with medicine as a career among young people.

According to official figures released by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), the number of MDCAT candidates has fallen from 204,253 in 2022 to approximately 138,000 in 2026.

PMA, the representative body of the medical fraternity, said the number of candidates stood at 194,133 in 2021 and increased to 204,253 in 2022, before dropping to 180,534 in 2023 and 182,000 in 2024. The figure fell further to 140,071 in 2025, and about 138,000 candidates applied this year.

The association said even repeated extensions in the registration timeline failed to reverse the declining trend. Following the rescheduling of the MDCAT to Sept 20, the PMDC reopened its registration portal for five days, from Aug 17 to 21, to facilitate candidates affected by regional disruptions and administrative delays.

However, only 2,063 additional candidates registered during the extended period, taking the final tally to just over 138,000. The PMA described the limited response as evidence of a “structural decline in interest” rather than merely a result of missed deadlines or administrative difficulties.

The PMA attributed the trend to several factors, including rising tuition fees at private medical and dental colleges, poor financial prospects for young doctors, delayed house-job stipends and a shortage of paid postgraduate residency positions.

It also expressed concern over violence against healthcare workers in public hospitals and the lack of a federal law providing protection to healthcare professionals.

Pre-medical students are increasingly choosing fields such as computer science, artificial intelligence, biotechnology and health data analytics because of better career progression, competitive starting salaries and greater international opportunities, the association said.

PMA Secretary-General Dr Abdul Ghafoor Shoro urged federal and provincial health authorities, along with the PMDC, to address the underlying economic and security issues rather than lowering MDCAT passing standards to fill vacant seats.

The PMA has called for capping private medical college fees, the timely payment of stipends, the creation of regular medical officer posts and the enactment of a federal Healthcare Professionals Protection Act.

Failure to address the issue could result in a serious shortage of doctors over the next decade, the association warned, placing further pressure on the country’s public healthcare system.