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Admissions in DDC and DIKIOHS on hold

Karachi- It has been months since PMDC barred Dr Ishartul Ebad Khan Institute of Oral Health Sciences (DIKIOHS) from admitting new students, after witnessing deficiencies in their set-up, on visiting the college and its adjoining facility. Dow Dental College (DDC) also came under fire for continuing to function without being officially registered with PMDC.

This year admissions in private and public medical and dental college will be given under the centralized induction policy. Application forms for MBBS and BDS admissions have been submitted and are under scrutiny at three different centers in Sindh. DIKIOHS and DDC are restricted from taking new admissions unless they clear all objections. Ever since establishment DDC has been posing itself as a PMDC registered entity, misleading many applicants. Since its founding in 2012, DDC has produced almost 100 graduates. On applying for PMDC registration and facing rejection, the students learnt that their institute has been operating unlawfully and was not registered with the regulatory body: PMDC.

The students paid millions for their education, entirely unaware of the illegal status of their institute. The distraught students wrote to the President PMDC requesting consequential actions to be taken to rectify the situation. DDC managed to fool students and parents for years, and not one concerned authority took notice until recently. In a meeting last month, PMDC suggested for DDC to file another application for registration; until then admissions will remain restricted.

In case, the two colleges fail to convince PMDC, Sindh will suffer shortage of BDS seats by almost 150, which has upset the applicants. They have made an appeal to the President Pakistan Dr Arif Alvi to address this disastrous situation, and have asked the Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar to take suo motu notice.