Private medical colleges in Punjab have failed to fill all available seats for the first time, with hundreds of MBBS places remaining vacant this year.

Admission data showed that 426 MBBS seats remained unfilled even after the release of a fifth admission list issued by authorities across the province officially.

The figures revealed that 109 candidates did not enrol, while 317 students withdrew after initially securing admission during the current academic admission cycle period nationwide.

Education experts said the trend reflected deeper challenges within Pakistan’s medical education sector, including employment prospects and pay concerns for newly qualified doctors nationwide today.

Read More: PM&DC Clarifies Its Inspection and Recognition Process

After completing house jobs, many graduates struggle to secure training positions, while salaries remain low across private healthcare facilities despite years of expensive medical education.

Medical officers in private hospitals earn around Rs40,000, compared with Rs60,000 paid to house officers, according to reported data highlighting persistent wage disparities nationwide today.

Experts also raised concerns about declining standards at some private medical colleges, citing regulatory weaknesses and limited clinical exposure during undergraduate medical training programmes there.

Estimates suggested that 20,000 to 30,000 doctors are unemployed in Pakistan, prompting students to reconsider medicine as a career because of uncertainty and limited opportunities.