Federal Minister for Health, Nasir Khan has said that the ministry will launch a programme "Community Oriented Medical Education" (COME), in medical colleges to train future doctors with latest knowledge. Addressing a national steering committee meeting on COME, in ministry of health, here on Monday, he said the curriculum would be updated to improve the skills of medical graduates.
The Federal Secretary Health, Anwar Mehmood, Director General Health, Dr Abdul Majid Rajput and National Co-ordinator of COME programme, Professor D.S. Akram, National Consultant of COME, Professor Lubna Baig and Khalif Bale Mohamud, Country Representative of World Health Organisation, were also present in the meeting.
The minister said that the government is fully aware of the need to introduce COME curriculum fully in all medical college when the next batch of MBBS students is admitted and added that change in curriculum of medical colleges is a dire need to keep pace with international standards, promotion of health facilities, prevention of diseases and to strengthen primary care. He said that project has several constraints regarding implementations.
Federal Secretary, Anwar Mehmood said that transport would be needed for the students of community-based activities. He said that government signed the mandate at Edinburgh Conference in 1989 to implement COME curriculum, but for some inadvertent reasons, the ministry was not able to start the project.
He said that large number of teachers have been trained for COME curriculum in medical colleges adding that in Pakistan only private institutions have successfully attempted to change their curriculum.
In her presentation on "constraints and future direction" Professor Lubna A. Baig, National Consultant of COME, said that the main objective of COME is to produce doctors who promote health for all because medical graduates should be a caregiver, decision maker, manager, leader and self learner.
She said that COME strategy of teaching would strengthen primary health care. The proposed curriculum is dynamic laying major emphasis on national health problems.
She said that preparation of COME curricula started in January 1997 with the help of ministry of health and World Health Organisation. Its curriculum for five year MBBS training is ready for implementation. She said that first COME document was developed. Its budgetary implications were considered for each college and Rs three million have been earmarked for each college as start-up cost.
She deplored that the present curriculum is more than 53 years old, set by the British, which again dates back to 1910 when the Flexner reforms in British medical education were introduced. She said that COME curriculum will strengthen "the department of medical education in all medical colleges".
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