A pragmatic regulatory relief measure to address acute faculty shortages in Pakistan’s medical institutions.
The Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PM&DC) has, via its decision of 10th February 2026, granted a one-year extension to an existing amnesty for faculty induction, selection, and promotion in Basic Sciences departments. Under this extension, faculty holding Level II-b qualifications remain eligible for promotion up to the rank of Professor, without the otherwise mandatory PhD requirement. Read about PMDC levels at this link.
The Council cited three driving concerns: a critical shortage of PhD-qualified faculty across institutions, the imperative to maintain uninterrupted academic continuity, and the need for regulatory alignment across the sector.
Separately, the amnesty covering the induction of Operative Dentistry faculty within the Departments of Pediatric Dentistry has been extended until 31st December 2026.
This notification (Letter No. PF.1.G-2025/17-C-M/Prom/L-II-B/176), issued by the PM&DC’s Recognition Section, reflects a recurring tension in Pakistan’s medical education landscape: regulatory standards designed for an ideal workforce supply often collide with institutional realities on the ground.
While the amnesty provides short-term relief, it also raises longer-term questions about doctoral capacity-building pipelines and whether periodic extensions risk normalising qualification gaps rather than resolving them.