Quota for tribal dists, Balochistan students increased in medical colleges.

Byline: Ikram Junaidi

ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) on Tuesday informed a parliamentary committee that the quota for students from tribal districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan had been increased by 800 per cent in public sector medical and dental colleges.

The Senate Functional Committee on Problems of Less Developed Areas held a meeting to discuss implementation status of its recommendations.

The recommendations were given considering a decision of the federal cabinet years ago that the special quotas should be allocated for the students of Fata and Balochistan. Though the educational institutions had increased the quota, the number of seats remained unchanged as the now dissolved Pakistan Medical and Dental Council was of the view that seats were allocated as per the provincial quota.

PMC Secretary Dr Arsalan Hayat while briefing the committee on Tuesday said four seats in each of the public medical and dental colleges had been approved and notified over and above the existing quota for the students of Balochistan and erstwhile Fata.

'As many as 29 seats were already available and 236 seats (four in each of the 59 colleges) have been added on the recommendation of the committee,' he said.

The committee appreciated the swift action taken by the PMC for better opportunities for students of less-developed areas.

...