PMC warns medical colleges of action over poor teaching

Islamabad:The regulator for medical and dental education has warned the colleges of action over poor quality of teaching.

"If any college fails to proactively improve its standards and deliver the quality of education required, we will not hesitate to take necessary action," the Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) said in a statement.

The warning comes in response to the announcement of an association of certain medical and dental colleges that its members will not abide by the PMC Medical and Dental Undergraduate Education (Admission, Curriculum and Conduct) Regulations, 2021, and will not undertake admissions in protest against the enforcement of accreditation standards of colleges and teaching hospitals.

The PMC said it hadn't received any direct written communication from any registered private medical or dental college regarding their intent not to abide by the regulations and their refusal to undertake admissions or accept the accreditation standards, which are currently under consideration with the Academic Board.

"The PMC recognises individual medical and dental colleges which it has inspected and accredited and shall only be communicating with colleges individually. Although PMC’s doors are always open for any of its registered and accredited colleges to share their individual views that will always be responded to as part of a standard dialogue between a regulator and its registered entities, any college which does not wish to recognise PMC or its regulations or standards will in essence seek disaffiliation of its recognition with PMC and that is the right of any private business," it said.

The commission said it was determined to continue working for the improvement of the standards of medical and dental programmes in the country with the singular objective of educating and licensing competent and properly qualified doctors and dentists.

It added that those steps were necessary to ensure that only the highest standards of healthcare were made available to all citizens of the country that were in line with the best global practices.

“While we will work with the colleges to improve their standards, if any college fails to proactively improve its standards and deliver the quality of education required, we will not hesitate to take necessary action,” it said.

The PMC said thousands of students paid millions of rupees to private colleges in consideration of receiving promised quality education, so it was the PMC’s responsibility to ensure the right of those students to quality education was protected and delivered.

"Any college, which does not wish to meet the educational accreditation standards or undertake transparent merit-based admissions giving an equal opportunity to all will be seen as violating not only the terms of its accreditation and recognition with the PMC but also violating its obligation towards its students," it said.