THE recent Pakistan Medical Commission decision regarding the teaching of basic medical science subjects by non-medical faculty in MBBS and BDS degree programmes has been warmly welcomed by the faculty engaged with basic medical subjects. These subjects are physiology, biochemistry and microbiology in general universities. It is a global practice that subjects like these being a part of any professional degree programme like MBBS, DPT, Pharm-D; are taught by basic subject faculty who are well-trained for this task under a rigorous curriculum dedicated to the particular subject.

General universities like University of Karachi have an excellent well-established basic medical science department. The Physiology Department since its inception in 1964 has nurtured the subject initially in medical colleges, later stretching the spectrum to nursing schools, pharmacy education, and physiotherapy institutes to nutrition studies.

The department has also been a nursery producing quality M.Phil and PhDs for the past 50plus years to serve medical and allied colleges. Currently, the department has the largest number of PhD faculty members under one roof, and our post-graduates taught by non-medical faculty, are serving in medical colleges and universities across Pakistan

Heretofore doctors would take admission in the KU Physiology Department to become M.Phil and Ph.D. It was we who groomed them as faculty to teach physiology, yet we were not allowed to teach. Thankfully the PMC directive has done away with this anomaly.

Hopefully, the future for physiology department graduates now stands bright.

Dr. Taseer Ahmed Khan

Karachi

Published in Dawn, January 25th, 2020