Last month, the PMDC clearly notified that the annual tuition fee for private medical and dental colleges would be capped at Rs1.89 million, inclusive of all charges.
The announcement was meant to bring clarity and relief to parents already struggling with rising living costs. However, what followed on the ground has been a different story altogether.
Admission letters and bank challans issued by several colleges show demands ranging from Rs2.5 million to over Rs3.5 million, often as a single upfront payment. Parents from Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, and Peshawar say colleges are giving them less than 24 hours to deposit the amount, warning that admission offers will be withdrawn if they fail to comply.
Many parents allege that colleges are using pressure tactics, putting families in an impossible position. ‘They know parents are desperate,’ said a father in Lahore. ‘You either pay whatever they ask, or your child loses a seat after years of hard work.’
In some cases, parents claim that even after paying university level fees, colleges demand additional amounts under the label of ‘remaining college dues,’ a move that directly undermines the PMDC’s fee cap.
Over the five year course, colleges are also accused of adding loosely defined charges for examinations, laboratories, clinical training, IT services, and graduation costs. These extras reportedly add Rs800,000 to Rs1 million per student, quietly inflating the total bill.
‘This is not education; this is open defiance,’ said another parent in Islamabad. ‘They are charging in broad daylight, and no one is stopping them.’
Parents also complain that filing grievances through the PMDC’s online complaint portal has brought little to no relief, further deepening their frustration and sense of helplessness.
A PMDC official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the association of private medical colleges had obtained a stay order against the fee cap, complicating enforcement.
However, the official added that the issue is now being reviewed by a high powered committee led by the deputy prime minister, raising hopes of a decisive intervention.
The controversy has once again sparked debate over unchecked profiteering in private medical education and raised uncomfortable questions about the regulator’s ability to enforce its own rules.
For now, parents remain caught in the middle paying a heavy price for a system that promises regulation on paper but delivers uncertainty in practice.
