23/11/2025
With due respect, I want to clarify my stance on this issue.
I firmly disagree with the idea that private medical graduates are somehow less competent or less talented. This is a completely unfair and biased assumption. For example, if a student scores 84 or 87% in MDCAT but still cannot secure a government seat simply due to limited vacancies, does that automatically make them “non-competent”? Of course not. Talent and hard work cannot be judged by where someone gets admitted.
Private medical students study the same curriculum, face the same tough UHS exams, and clear the same theory papers as government students. If private graduates were truly “incompetent,” they would never be able to pass the same standardized UHS theory exams. Questioning only the OSPE/Viva marks while ignoring the rest of the system is not a fair way to judge anyone’s capabilities.
Moreover, once a candidate clears FCPS-1 or JCAT, there is no concept of government, private, or foreign graduate. At that level, everyone is filtered through the same rigorous exam. If all become equal after these standardized tests, then why maintain a lifelong distinction? Why continue a biased advantage for one group?
In developed countries, after MBBS, every graduate takes USMLE, AMC, or PLAB, and everyone competes equally for residency. But in Pakistan, this privileged culture continues... where some individuals want permanent benefits and preferential treatment just because they studied in a certain type of college.
Why don’t we talk about equality? Why don’t we encourage a transparent, unbiased system where every doctor gets a fair chance?
Postgraduate training merit should be based purely on FCPS/JCAT performance just like USMLE scores determine residency matching abroad.
This is the only fair and modern approach.