For sale

This refers to the news report, ‘Medical training dissertations are up for sale in Peshawar’ (Apr 28). These dissertations are then submitted by students to meet one of the prerequisites to apply for the FCPS part 2 exams. This matter needs to be investigated and those who are selling these materials must be questioned. It is also important to realise why this business of selling dissertations is booming. The FCPS exams are the Pakistani equivalent of the foreign exams like MRCP, FRCS etc. These examinations are clinical care-orientated exams and not research-based. Therefore, the requirement of dissertation is an unnecessary burden on postgraduate doctors. In Pakistan, doctors perform clinical research which includes writing papers and studying case reports. This work is then published in reputed journals. A good dissertation requires about Rs200,000 to conduct tests and related work. It is quite understandable why the business of selling dissertations is active in the country. Another problem with the dissertation work is that most supervisors are not qualified researchers.

When the FCPS qualification was launched in the early 1960s, the dissertation requirement was added just to bring the qualification at par with foreign qualifications. These days we have the state-of-the-art hospitals providing training to students appearing in the FCPS exam. Some students are often selected to complete their training in Europe or the Middle East through exchange programmes. The standard of the FCPS exam in our country is quite good. The country doesn’t need to add the requirement of dissertation in the course. Moreover, people involved in the preparation of dissertations need to be employed in some worthwhile research programmes to make the most of their skills.

Dr Mansoor Elahi

Islamabad