Pakistani authorities have advised 79 Palestinian medical students from Gaza to return home after completing their clinical training and serve their people in war-hit Gaza, saying existing laws do not permit their registration or medical practice in Pakistan.
A total of 150 students from Gaza University arrived in Pakistan in February 2024 after the war disrupted their medical education and prevented them from completing the mandatory clinical component of their undergraduate studies. Pakistan accommodated the students under a one-time humanitarian arrangement, providing them with free clinical training at leading healthcare institutions, along with boarding and lodging facilities.
Officials said 71 students had completed their training and returned to Gaza to serve their people, while the remaining 79 were still in Pakistan and had sought registration, licensing and permission to practise medicine in the country. The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PM&DC) clarified that the students had been brought to Pakistan specifically to complete their clinical training in accordance with the requirements of their parent institution in Gaza.
Officials said most of the students had already been awarded their primary medical qualifications by their respective universities and were expected to return home and contribute to Gaza's severely strained healthcare system. In a circular issued to principals, deans and heads of medical and dental institutions, the council said Pakistani institutions had been authorised to provide clinical training to the Palestinian students. However, no institution in Pakistan had been authorised to award, jointly award or confer a medical or dental qualification on them, it added.
Officials said requests by the remaining students for registration and licensing in Pakistan could not be accommodated under the existing PM&DC Act and regulations because they were foreign nationals and their parent medical institution was not recognised by the council for registration purposes. They said the legal position should not be interpreted as a withdrawal of humanitarian support, as Pakistan had enabled the students to continue an education disrupted by the war and receive clinical training free of charge.
Under Section 18 of the PM&DC Act, 2022, the National Registration Examination (NRE) is meant for Pakistani nationals holding primary medical or dental qualifications from foreign institutions who wish to obtain registration in Pakistan. The matter was considered by the PM&DC Council at its meeting on July 14, 2026. The council found no legal or regulatory basis for extending the students' placement beyond the clinical training originally approved.