PMDC asks medics to submit certificates for licence renewal

Islamabad: The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has directed all doctors to provide it with CME/CDE certificates for renewal of licences to practice.
“Licence to practice will be given to only those medical and dental practitioners and specialists who have completed at least five credit hours/year (for GPs) and 10 credit hours/year (for specialists) of training of CME,” PMDC Deputy Registrar Dr Shaista Faisal said in a statement.
The PMDC deputy registrar said by maintaining skills and keeping doctors and dentists up-to-date, continuing professional development (CPD) supported safe clinical practice.
“Continuing medical and dental education (CME & CDE) is essential for doctors and specialists to maintain their skills keep up to date with changes and advances in medical and dental research and integrate these developments into practice. There is a clear trend towards mandatory CPD requirements throughout the world associated with revalidation of registration certificates with their councils,” she said.
Dr Shaista said the PMDC registration would not be considered for renewal without CME certificate after implementation of CME and CDE guidelines.
She informed all doctors intending to renew their PMDC registration certificates that all information regarding CME and CDE along with guidelines and institutions providing CME and CDE recognised by PMDC had been uploaded on the PMDC website. The PMDC deputy registrar said doctors were given six months amnesty time until June 30, 2015, to complete their CME/CDE credit hours.
“If a doctor provides less than five years of credit hours (twenty-five credit hours for General Practitioners and fifty-credit hours for Specialists) his/her Registration will be renewed in equation to the CME/CDE credit hours provided.”
Dr Shaista said Certificate of Continuing Medical Education (CME) of only the following DAI/ Institutions would be entertained for PMDC registration i.e. University of Health Sciences Lahore, AFPGMI Rawalpindi, Dow University of Health Sciences Karachi, Ziauddin University Karachi, ISRA University Islamabad (Campus Islamabad), Baqai Medical University Karachi, Khyber Medical University Peshawar, Liaquat University of Medical & Health Sciences Jamshoro, Riphah Academy of Research & Education (RARE) Rawalpindi (Riphah University), Pakistan Institute of Cardiology Lahore, Federal Government Polyclinic (PGMI) Islamabad, Foundation University Islamabad, College of Family Medicine Pakistan Karachi, Aga Khan University Karachi, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University Larkana, Gandhara University Peshawar, People’s University of Medical & Health Sciences for Women Nawabshah.
She said the doctors and dentists who did graduation or post-graduation during the last five years, were not interested to practice, were above seventy years of age, and had completed house job within last five years would be exempted from CME/CDE certification.