Students aspiring to secure admission in MBBS programs in Punjab have received encouraging news, as the Punjab government has decided to increase 475 MBBS seats across various public medical colleges in the province for the current academic year.
In this regard, the government has requested the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) to increase the number of seats in public and private medical and dental colleges to accommodate the growing number of students in the province, the sources said.
The recommendation to expand seat capacity is based on the available bed strength in affiliated public teaching hospitals, ensuring infrastructure can support the increased student intake.
The provincial government has submitted specific allocation requests for numerous institutions.
A major increase of 50 seats has been sought for the Services Institute of Medical Sciences.
Similarly, requests have been made to add 50 seats each at Amiruddin Medical College, Nishtar Medical College, Punjab Medical College, Faisalabad, Sheikh Zayed Medical College, Rahim Yar Khan, Sahiwal Medical College, and Gujranwala Medical College.
Furthermore, a 30-seat increase has been requested for Dera Ghazi Khan Medical College.
Smaller expansions have been proposed for key institutions, with a request for 25 additional seats at the prestigious King Edward Medical College, and 25 seats each at Quaid-e-Azam Medical College and Sargodha Medical College.
For Khawaja Safdar Medical College in Sialkot, an increase of 20 seats has been requested.
This initiative is expected to provide greater opportunities for students seeking admission to the MBBS program within the province's public sector institutions.
If approved by the PMDC, the expansion will ensure a significant rise in opportunities for aspiring medical students this year.
Reporter: Zahid Chaudhry