A top trend these days among aspirants of medical colleges is the ‘entrance test’. The entrance test mafia was one that had yet to be discovered. From years it was claimed that MCAT was conducted fairly and all the deserving students got admission in the Government medical and dental colleges of Punjab based on merit. Practically speaking we’ve been fooled all these years. It is not the first time that a paper was leaked. The only difference is that the issue had been reported for the first time. It is found that a well organised mafia was working since years. With the cancellation of the test held on 20th August, the future of the students who aspire to become doctors is at stake.  

The enigma here is; the students both wait for the results of the new test and do not apply in some other institute, or they apply somewhere else get admission there, qualify the test on the other side too, waste the seat of someone else. The test is to be held again on 29th October and the investigation is now to be done by the CIA.The private academies who had charged earlier for the preparation of the test are once again all set to earn millions on the name of entry test preparations. There is no check and balance on these academies which do nothing but suck the blood of a hardworking common man who wishes to see his child become a doctor. Keeping all this aside, there is no compensation of the mental trauma the students are going through, uncertain and confused about the future. The whole matter puts a question mark on the credibility of University of Health sciences and all the respected authorities in charge of admissions in the Government medical and dental colleges of Punjab. 

HADIQA MAHBOOB,  

Lahore, October 8.