ISLAMABAD: If you’re an MBBS or BDS doctor planning your postgraduate future—this warning could define your career.
The Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PMDC) has exposed a network of universities across Pakistan offering unrecognized postgraduate medical and dental programs, raising serious concerns about the future of thousands of doctors.
The message is clear—and alarming:
→ Degrees from these programs will NOT be registered
→ Trainees enrolled in them will NOT be recognized
This is not just a regulatory update.
It’s a career-defining alert.
The official warning: what PMDC has declared
According to the PMDC alert, after a careful review of records, several universities have been found offering and awarding postgraduate degrees and diplomas to MBBS and BDS doctors without fulfilling mandatory recognition requirements under Section 25 of the PM&DC Act, 2022.
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This means these programs are legally invalid from the outset.
Universities named in the PMDC alert
The following institutions have been explicitly listed:
- TIMES University, Multan
- NUR International University, Lahore
- Gomal University, D.I. Khan
- Sohail University, Karachi
- Shah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur
- Khwaja Fareed University of Engineering & Information Technology, Rahim Yar Khan
- University of Faisalabad, Faisalabad
- University of Azad Jammu & Kashmir, AJK
- Hazara University, Mansehra
- Kohat University of Science & Technology, Kohat
For thousands of young doctors, this list is not just information, it is a warning sign to stop immediately and verify.
Immediate shutdown orders issued
The PMDC has gone a step further, issuing strict directives:
- All universities must immediately discontinue unrecognized postgraduate programs
- No institution can advertise, launch, or conduct such programs without prior PMDC recognition
- Universities are prohibited from granting affiliations to unrecognized programs
This enforcement is backed by Section 34 of the PM&DC Act, 2022, which clearly prohibits the establishment or operation of any institution offering medical or dental qualifications without PMDC approval.
What happens to current trainees? A serious red flag
Perhaps the most alarming part of the notification:
→ Doctors currently enrolled in these programs “shall not be considered”
→ Their qualifications will NOT be registered by PMDC
In simple terms—
Years of effort, tuition fees, and training could become professionally meaningless.
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This alert exposes a systemic issue:
- Programs being launched without regulatory approval
- Doctors unknowingly enrolling in invalid qualifications
- A gap between academic offerings and legal recognition
For a profession where licensure defines legitimacy, this is not a minor issue, it is a national healthcare integrity concern.
What doctors must do right now
The PMDC’s message is urgent and actionable:
- Verify recognition status of any postgraduate program directly with PMDC
- Avoid enrolling in programs without formal approval under Section 25
- Stay updated with official PMDC notifications before making career decisions
The bottom line
This is more than an alert.
It is a nationwide alarm for Pakistan’s medical and dental community.
The difference between a recognized and unrecognized qualification could mean:
- A licensed career
- Or a dead end
And PMDC has made one thing absolutely clear:
There will be no exceptions. No recognition. No registration.
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