‘Medical colleges sans minimum training requirements to be de-recognised’

Islamabad
The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council Management Committee has warned medical and dental colleges not meeting the minimum training requirements will be de-recognised.
It said standards of medical and dental education in the country would be brought on a par with those in developed countries like UK and USA.
The warning was issued during the committee members’ interactive session with vice chancellors and principals or deans of medical and dental universities and colleges working in the country’s public sector.
More than 40 vice chancellors, deans and principals along with representatives of the College of Physicians and Surgeons and the Ministry of NHRSC attended the session.
Addressing the participants, Chairman of the PMDC Management Committee Maj. Gen. (r) Dr. Azhar Mahmood Kayani said that all stakeholders need to join hands and put efforts for improving the standards of medical education in the country and have to strictly avoid conflicts among each other.
He said efforts are being made to bring the medical education of the country at par with international standards. He informed all the participants that the Management Committee has been handed over the responsibility to conduct elections for the PM&DC Council and to streamline the daily working routine of this organisation which had lately become too cumbersome and user unfriendly.
He emphasised that the Management Committee took over this responsibility as a challenge as it is in the best public interest and it is a national service. This meeting was a step towards building a better relationship between all the medical/dental stakeholders he added. A similar meeting with heads of all private medical/dental institutions is also scheduled to be held on 6th October 2015.
He requested the participants to provide their suggestions to improve the functioning of the PM&DC. He said it is a prestigious organisation with international repute and they will try to restore its smeared image.
He added that the Management Committee is making the PM&DC functioning and registration system easier and doctor friendly.
The participants of the session showed their confidence in the Management Committee and appreciated the measures taken thus far including clearing the backlog of more than 1500 cases of registration of doctors, easier obtaining of CME credits and abolishing the exit examination for doctors after finishing their house jobs as well as the system of duplicate inspections of training facilities already approved by the CPSP. The CPSP showed declared complete confidence in the present set-up of PM&DC Management Committee and promised its full support in all the initiatives being planned by them.
The management committee’s chairman informed the session that over-admission of medical and dental students will not be allowed. He said there will be no compromise on minimum standards of the medical and dental education in the country.
According to him, efforts will be made to amend the PMDC rules and regulations so that medical and dental education system is standardised and affairs of the PM&DC are streamlined.
Concerns about representation of all stakeholders in conduction of elections of new Council will be shared with the Federal Government. Effective coordination and coordination of National institutions like PM&DC, HEC, CPSP etc. will be ensured. The government will be engaged to ensure that the number of medical/dental graduates being produced in the country is commensurate with employment opportunities for these doctors. Currently this number is far above this giving rise to restlessness and frustration in the youth of our country.