PMDC decides to reform medical, dental curriculum

Islamabad: The adhoc Council of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) on Friday decided to bring the medical and dental curriculum on a par with global standards.

The council, the top decision-making body of the medical and dental education regulator in the country, met here with PMDC President Justice (r) Mian Shakirullah Jan in the chair. Khyber Medical University Peshawar VC Professor Arshad Javed, in his presentation, called for reforms in medical and dental curriculum.

He said several steps were taken in the past but the PMDC was not able to revise the curriculum. The council unanimously decided that assistance would be sought from noted medical educationists of the country to design national curriculum to produce quality doctors to meet the country's health requirements.

The PMDC president said the new integrated modular curriculum would be student-centred and would help undergraduate students to upgrade their existing knowledge and clinical skills. He added that the new curriculum would help produce better professional doctors and dentists.

The participants pointed out that there was a dire need for the revision of inspection performas for medical and dental colleges in the country. They decided that the council would introduce improved and revised inspection performa for future inspections and recognition of medical and dental colleges.

The council considered the need of students and faculty feedback of respective colleges in the new performa saying they practically witness the quality of education. It decided that the revised performas would be precise, transparent and in line with the current Gazette regulations. The inspections carried out at the moment will however be in line with the current performa.

The council said once the performa was formulated in accordance with Gazette rules and approved by it, training of inspectors would be conducted in collaboration with the federal government.

The meeting was attended by Attorney General of Pakistan Ashtar Ausaf Ali, National University of Medical Sciences Vice-Chancellor Lt-Gen Dr Syed Mohammad Imran Majeed, Vice Chancellor of the University of Health Sciences, Lahore, Prof Faisal Masud, KMU principal Prof Arshad Javed, Bolan Medical College, Quetta, principal Prof Shabir Ahmed Lehri, nominee of the Attorney General for Pakistan Chaudhry Amir Rehan, Jinnah Sindh Medical University, Karachi, principal Prof Tariq Rafi and national health services DG Dr Asad Hafeez.