Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has extended the moratorium on establishment of new medical and dental colleges in order to enhance and maintain the standards of the medical and dental colleges. According to PMDC, already 128 colleges are functioning currently in the country and the council has taken this decision keeping in mind the gross deficiency of teaching faculty in medical dental institutions.
As per record of PMDC there is only 10846 faculty available and 4343 faculty is deficient in the existing institutions. President PMDC Professor Dr Masood Hameed while talking to journalists apprised the latest decisions made by the Executive Committee of the Council. He said this step has taken to improve the standard of medical education.
He said that the PMDC has renewed the registration of 101802 medical practitioners and 9614 dental practitioners. More than 9000 letters have been written to doctors having invalid registrations for validation of their registration certificates. He said for the first time CME/CDE based licensing system has been introduced in Pakistan as being used internationally. All the under graduate/ Post graduate student registration sections has been computerised.
A database is being prepared to gather the information of all the doctors and specialists for which PMDC has written letters to more than 500 clinics and hospitals to gather the data of doctors working in their hospitals and clinics to ensure the eradication of quackery. PMDC through its Standing Recognition Committee has considered and registered more than 80 cases of doctors who have obtained postgraduate qualifications from abroad which were pending since last three years.
He added for the first time PMDC has relaxed the fee of recognition of post grate programmes so that all institutions are facilitated to get their PG programmes recognised as soon as possible. Moreover PMDC has inspected more than 18 postgraduate institutions till now.
He said PMDC as per its amendment act of 2012 has started formation of specialists medical boards at local and regional level so that medical dental education in the country is promoted more effective and to eradicate quackery. These boards will specify the specialist to remain within their allowed limit to practice their specialty as per their qualification. To perform any advance procedure these specialists will have to qualify accordingly.
President PMDC clarified that as per PMDC Amendment Act 2012 promulgated by the parliament dated August 13, 2012 any Pakistani national who obtains any medical or dental basic qualifications from any foreign university has to appear and clear national examination board of PMDC for their degree registration irrespective of the country. Furthermore the matter of Cuban scholarships was dealt by Higher Education Commission of Pakistan but they have to fulfil the statuary requirements of PMDC for registrations of these graduates.
It is also interesting to note that first batch of the Cuban graduates have arrived Pakistan in 2014 and PMDC have facilitated these candidates for NEB examination. Most of the graduates appeared in this exam and has successfully cleared this exam in the year 2014.
He emphasised that the Council has ensured the standards of medical dental colleges and till 2012 only four new medical dental colleges have been recognised and has done approximately 100 comprehensive and surprise Inspections of undergraduate/ postgraduate institutions 2013 to 2014 in order to upgrade the standards of the colleges. He said that Northern Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS), Abbottabad was closed in compliance with the decision of Peshawar High Court and their 502 students were adjusted to other recognised private medical colleges of Pakistan while Al-Razi Medical College, by the Peshawar High Court, Peshawar on the judgement dated December 05, 2013 and recommended by the Council for closure, Hashmat Medical and Dental College, Gujrat, Sahiwal Medical College, Sahiwal, Pak Red Crescent Medical and Dental College, Lahore.
He told that warnings have been issued to almost 72 medical and dental colleges who have been deficient in their faculty. Admissions of nine medical and dental colleges have been stopped due to gross deficiencies of faculty, infrastructure and hospital included Mohiuddin Islamic Medical College, Mirpur, AJK, Abbottabad International Medical College, Abbottabad, Independent Medical College, Faisalabad, Federal Medical & Dental College, Islamabad, Bhittai Dental & Medical College, Mirpurkhas, Sindh, Mohammad Bin Qasim Medical & Dental College, Karachi, Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Medical College, Mirpur AJK, AJ&K Medical College, Muzafarabad and Women Medical College, Abbottabad.
He said the PMDC has barred 14 medical dental colleges for new admissions who do not have their own 150 bedded functional hospitals. PMDC also instructed the medical institution to offer 50 percent welfare beds for patients and 5 percent students quota for free medical education.
He added that PMDC has been recognised for its accreditation standards as comparable to USA standards by NCFMEA, USA and has developed an international level interactive PMDC Website which has the capacity to support information sharing with other regulatory authorities of the world.