AFTER repeated incidents of paper-leak and controversies over the last several years, the much-awaited Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) was finally held this year on Sept 20, only to bring another 1(ind of misery for the candidates. Initially, the NED University was announced as the sole test centre in Karachi, but then,later on, the Ojha Campus of the Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) was added as the second venue.

According to the instructions issued to the candidates, the reporting time was 6.30am, but nothing was mentioned about the time at which the test would commence.The twin daughters of my brother-inlaw were also among the candidates.

Surprisingly, despite having the same residential address, they were assigned different test centres one at NED and the other at DUHS. Since my brother-inlaw was unable to accompany both, he asked my spouse to accompany one of them to DUHS. I also accompanied them.

We reached the venue much before the designated time early in the morning.

There were already a large number of vehicles on the roads, and both sides of the road from Kiran Hospital onwards werealmost completely blocked because of the heavy rush of students and their families.

Reportedly, around 4,900 candidates were scheduled to sit the test at DUHS.

According to the candidates, they were made to sit under tents in extremely hot weather, and, worse, on a bare, dusty floor without even proper flooring. There also appeared to be inadequate safety and security arrangements. Although police vehicles were present, there were no visible metal detectors, ambulances or fire tenders to deal with any emergency.

Parents were asked to wait in a nearby old wedding hall that had no airconditioning. Only a limited number of fans were operational, which offered little relief from the heat. The temperature that day, mind you, was 42 degrees Celsius. There was also no adequate arrangement for drinl(ing water either.

After hours of waiting, at around 1pm, the news came that the test had ended, and parents began leaving the waiting area. It was not before 1.30pm that the students started emerging, and there was no proper arrangement at the main gate to manage the crowd. The students appeared exhausted from the intense heat and prolonged wait. Parents and students struggled to locate one another amid the enormous rush. The situation was so chaotic that it took us another two hours to get hold of the child and leave the area.

The authorities do need to review the arrangements and identify more suitable venues for future tests with due facilities so that the candidates may give their best.

Khawaja Tajammul Hussain Karachi