Medical education to change for new normal

LAHORE: While there is a significant level of uncertainty around how medical education will look in the post-pandemic era, the Asian health experts agree that Covid-19 has created a critical need to transform various aspects of medical education to reflect the changing health landscape.

“The teaching and learning of medicine has historically been slow to change, but rapid changes seen during the Covid-19 pandemic show that the profession is capable of being nimble. The current upheaval represents an opportunity for experimentation in how undergraduate and postgraduate medical education is delivered”, said University of Health Sciences (UHS) Vice Chancellor Professor Javed Akram here on Thursday, adding that it is time to embrace competency-based training and expand the use of technology in medical education.

He was addressing through a video-link at the inaugural session of South and Southeast Medical Education and Service Alliance (SSAMESA) Conference hosted by Kunming Medical University, China.

UHS is the only medical university from Pakistan to become the member of this thirteen-nation alliance. Kunming Medical University’s President, Professor Li Song said the coronavirus crisis had impacted both higher education and the field of medicine in a myriad of ways.

“There is no doubt the field of medicine has been uniquely impacted by the pandemic. Not only have we witnessed the importance of having a robust healthcare system, but the pandemic has created a critical need to explore some of the potential areas that may see significant changes”, he opined.

Vice Minister of Ministry of Public Health, Thailand, Dr Samrerng Yanggratokeh said the use of innovative technologies and processes might soon be essential components in the long-term future of medical education.

In the opening session of the conference, two medical universities from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka were added as new alliance members with the majority of votes from the member universities.