The Sindh cabinet has approved a budget of Rs232.14 million to facilitate a retake of the Medical and Dental Colleges Admission Test (MDCAT) for candidates who took the exam on September 22.
While the retake will be free of charge, the exact date has not yet been confirmed. The provincial health department has been assigned the responsibility of ensuring that the new exam, to be conducted by the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) in Sukkur, takes place smoothly within the next six weeks.
This decision comes in response to a directive from the Sindh High Court, which ordered the retake after an investigation found that the integrity of the original test had been compromised. The court instructed the provincial government to cover all expenses for the retake and to involve either IBA Karachi or IBA Sukkur in administering the exam.
At a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, it was also decided to form vigilance committees in collaboration with the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) to monitor the retake process.
The Chief Minister emphasized that the MDCAT retake will follow the existing provincial syllabus, with no reference to last year’s validation.
Additionally, the cabinet approved the creation of the Sindh Job Portal to simplify government job recruitment processes. They also sanctioned the formation of the Sindh Environmental Protection Council to strengthen environmental governance in the province.
