Pakistan Suspends Afghan Doctors’ Internships at Two Medical Colleges

DID Press: Pakistani health authorities have ordered Afghan doctors and medical students at two medical colleges in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to stop their internships, according to reports.

At Swat Hospital, six Afghan doctors undergoing internships were reportedly ordered by the hospital’s medical director to stop working, immediately vacate their accommodation and leave Pakistan.Bannu Medical College has also terminated the internships of all Afghan students and doctors with immediate effect.

The head of Saidu Medical College issued a separate directive concerning Afghan students and graduates, but details of that order have not yet been made clear.The directives did not specify a reason for suspending the internships. However, Swat Hospital officials told local media that the decision followed a letter from the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC).

The move comes as Pakistan intensifies the deportation of Afghan nationals. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), 68,800 Afghan nationals had been deported from Pakistan between the beginning of 2026 and October 3.