23/02/2026
It has recently been reported in the news that a student of Fatima Jinnah Medical University, Lahore took her own life by jumping from the roof after her examination. This case is being under investigations currently.
Before discussing further, let us see at how many precious lives have been taken by harsh education system of Pakistan.
In March 2018, at Sahara Medical College, Narowal, a female student committed su***de by hanging herself from a ceiling fan in her hostel room after failing a supplementary exam.
On 13 April 2010, at Aga Khan University, Karachi, a student committed su***de by hanging himself from a ceiling fan. THIS WAS THE FIFTH CASE OF STUDENT SU***DE AT THE UNIVERSITY BETWEEN 1991 AND 2010.
On 17 April 2014, at Quaid-e-Azam Medical College, Bahawalpur, a third-year student, took his life by jumping in front of a train after failing his exams.
On 16 March 2016, at Abbottabad International Medical College, Abbottabad, a third-year BDS student jumped from the third floor of her hostel and passed away.
On 11 April 2016, at Hamdard Medical College, Karachi, a fourth-year BDS student, Abdul Basit, was not allowed to sit in his exam due to late arrival. He later set himself on fire passed away.
On 19 April 2016, at King Edward Medical University, Lahore, a third-year MBBS student attempted su***de by climbing a water tank after being detained in his exams. Fortunately, he was rescued.
In March 2017, at Rahbar Medical and Dental College, Lahore, a first-year student committed su***de by hanging himself at his home after failing his exams.
Do you know that as compared to other educational fields in Pakistan, the number of academically weak or lazy students in medical colleges is very low. Then what is the reason that students who top their schools and colleges often not only fail in medical college but also end up taking supplementary exams or even losing an academic year?
If we talk about the MBBS curriculum, the level of difficulty in Pakistan and India is far greater than in most parts of the world. When the first professional exam result is announced, apart from a few extraordinary students (commonly called “thetas”), students hardly believe they have passed. From a syllabus as vast as an ocean, students manage to retain only a bucketful, and even passing under such circumstances feels nothing short of a miracle.
Take first year as an example. The first professional paper is usually General Anatomy — the first annual exam after entering medical college. On a single day, students are examined in three tough subjects, Anatomy, Histology, and Embryology. In second year, Neuroanatomy is added, making it four components. Other subjects are in addition to this. In third year, when you study one drug in Pharmacology, you forget the previous one. When you study one organism in Microbiology, you forget the previous organism. In Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, when you study one poison, you forget the previous poison.
Despite all this hard work, success does not depend solely on merit. Internal assessment marks, the attitude of the viva examiner, mood of the professor checking the paper decide whether a student passes or fails.
After such hard work, if a student fails by just few marks, or if failing either theory or viva requires retaking both, and if even the supplementary exam is not cleared resulting in the loss of a FULL ACADEMIC YEAR then is not surprising at all that such circumstances push students into severe depression and suicidal thoughts.
In Sindh, the academic pressure on medical students is relatively lower. Despite this, medical colleges in Sindh produce some of the best doctors. In my opinion, the reason is the semester system. Unlike the annual system, exams are held twice a year, subjects are divided, and the syllabus is more manageable. In contrast, in many other provinces, students have to study the entire year’s syllabus at once and then appear in one major professional exam. This creates intense pressure, and many students start regretting their decision to study medicine.
If essential reforms are not introduced in Pakistan’s decades-old medical curriculum to reduce the burden on medical students, we must be prepared to witness more such tragic incidents in the future.
May Allah grant forgiveness to the recently deceased student of Fatima Jinnah Medical University and to all the other students who lost their lives due to this education system. Ameen.
Dr. Saad Khizer,
Resident ENT Surgeon, ISB
