Check Mental Health Screening at Pakistan's Medical and Dental Colleges: PMDC Orders It at Admission and Yearly
PMDC told all medical and dental colleges to screen students and staff for mental health at admission and yearly, with a psychiatry unit. See what to ask.
The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has told every medical and dental college to screen students and faculty for mental health at admission and once every year. Colleges must also run a psychiatry department with a counselling section. The letter is dated 29 April 2026 and is posted on the PMDC website.
Update, 17 October 2026: the PMDC Disciplinary Committee was reported to have fined Fatima Jinnah Medical University Rs 20 million and asked for counselling for female students.
Medical school is hard on the mind, and a family sending a child into MBBS or BDS is entitled to ask what support exists. We opened the PMDC home page on 15 October 2026, found the notice titled "Implementation of Mental Health Screening Counselling services" and read the letter behind it. This page explains what the letter says and what it leaves out.
PMDC told all medical and dental colleges to screen mental health
The letter is numbered PF-5-ADR-PM&DC/2026/1132 and is addressed to the principals and deans of all medical and dental colleges. It calls mental health protection of critical importance and tells colleges to put structured screening protocols in place.
PMDC gives its reason in the letter. It points to rising rates of mental illness and student suicides, and to growing public and legislative concern. It says the prevention and treatment of psychological harm to students and faculty rests with the institutions, and that the matter should be treated as urgent.
Screening happens at admission and every year
The letter names two screening points. One is at the time of admission, to find existing concerns and offer early support. The other is every year, for undergraduate students, postgraduate students and faculty, so wellbeing is watched across the whole course.
That means a first year student should be screened when they join, not only when something goes wrong. It also covers teachers and trainee doctors. The letter says nothing about a result affecting an admission decision, so do not assume it does. The purpose it states is early support.
| Who | When the letter says to screen |
|---|---|
| New students | At the time of admission |
| Undergraduate students | Every year |
| Postgraduate students | Every year |
| Faculty | Every year |
Colleges are told to use standard questionnaires
PMDC advises validated tools such as the General Health Questionnaire, the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the Beck Suicide Inventory. These are short question sheets, and the letter says "such as", so colleges may use others.
A screening questionnaire is not a diagnosis. It flags who might need a longer talk with a specialist. The letter says anyone flagged as needing further evaluation or support must be promptly referred to the psychiatry department for assessment, management and follow up.
Ask to see which tool your college uses and who reads the answers. Because the topic is sensitive, a student has every right to ask how the answers are stored. The letter itself uses the word confidential only for the counselling services, so ask what that means in practice.
Every college must run a psychiatry department with counselling
The letter says it is mandatory under PMDC standards for every institution to keep a fully functional psychiatry department with a counselling section. The unit must be adequately staffed and equipped to give confidential psychological support, guidance and intervention.
For a family, this is the useful part. Before you accept a seat, look for the counselling section on the campus tour and ask for a name and a room. If you are choosing a college, also confirm it is on the council's list, using how to check a medical college is PMDC recognised.
The letter sets no dates, penalties or single required test
The letter says colleges must comply without delay but gives no deadline and no penalty. It names no single mandatory questionnaire and does not say how results reach PMDC. We could not tell from the PMDC pages whether colleges have started.
That gap matters. An order on paper is only the start, and students will see the effect only if their own college runs it. Help outside college is covered in the national mental health policy 2026, which also lists free helplines.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, do not wait for a college process. Contact a doctor, a trusted adult, or the nearest hospital emergency department at once.
What to ask your college this month
Ask four plain questions: does the college screen at admission, does it screen every year, where is the psychiatry department and counselling section, and who sees the answers. Put the question in writing and quote the PMDC letter number.
- Find the letter on the PMDC website, notice "Implementation of Mental Health Screening Counselling services".
- Write to the principal's office and quote the letter number.
- Ask whether screening happens at admission and every year.
- Ask which questionnaire is used and who reads the answers.
- Ask where the psychiatry department and counselling section are.
- Keep the reply, and write to PMDC if the college does not answer.
Common questions about mental health screening in medical colleges
Is mental health screening compulsory in Pakistani medical colleges?
PMDC directed all medical and dental colleges to put it in place at admission and yearly. The letter does not state a deadline or a penalty, so we cannot say how many colleges have started.
Which students does the order cover?
It covers new students at admission, then undergraduate and postgraduate students and faculty every year, according to the letter dated 29 April 2026.
What happens if a screening shows a concern?
The person must be promptly referred to the psychiatry department for assessment, management and follow up. The letter treats screening as the first step, not a result.
Does every college need a counselling section?
Yes. The letter says PMDC standards make a functional psychiatry department with a counselling section mandatory, with staff and equipment to give confidential support.
Which tests does PMDC name?
It names the General Health Questionnaire, the PHQ-9, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the Beck Suicide Inventory, and says colleges should use standardised, validated tools.
Where can I read the letter?
It is posted on the PMDC home page at pmdc.pk, under the notice titled Implementation of Mental Health Screening Counselling services. It is a PDF dated 29 April 2026.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked 15 October 2026. The requirements come from the PMDC website and the letter PF-5-ADR-PM&DC/2026/1132 dated 29 April 2026, which we read on that date. We did not contact any college, so we cannot say whether screening is running at a given campus. If you are worried about your own wellbeing, speak to a doctor or a trusted adult.
About the author
Public Services and Education Journalist
Fajr Riaz is a journalist and content writer at Pakistan Era, based in Lahore. She covers the questions people meet in everyday life in Pakistan: how a public service works, what a change in the rules means, and where to find a reliable answer.
