ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) has announced key decisions taken by the National Medical and Dental Council that include accreditation standards, the National Licencing Examination (NLE), Merit Calculation and accommodation of A level students in colleges, whose results are expected to be announced in February 2021.

According to a statement of the PMC issued on Sunday, accreditation standards for teaching hospitals were recommended by the National Medical and Dental Academic Board (NMDAB).

The board has recommended to fix the maximum weekly work hours of postgraduate students at an average of 80 hours, subject to different disciplines of study.

The council in principle approved a phased approach for achieving new standards where institutions not achieving the desired standards would be given reasonable timelines to improve.

The council has also decided that the inspection score of institutions would be represented by four scored grades: A+, A, B and C. A college that may be ranked C would be given sufficient time to work towards achieving these new accreditation standards and obtain a higher grade within the prescribed time frames.

The council also decided that the previous 2019 accreditation standards for undergraduate medical and dental colleges shall be used for carrying out the immediate and urgent inspections in different cases.

Recent concerns from medical graduates regarding the scope and structure of the NLE were reviewed and the council clarified that the NLE would be an examination principally to test the candidate’s ability to function as a safe practitioner and it is not designed to re-examine the graduate about theory.

PMC directed the council to make a sample NLE examination paper available online within 10 days to allow graduates to clearly understand the scope and structure of the NLE.

The council also approved, at the request of the Ministry of Education, a special window from Jan 10 to Feb 10 for colleges to accommodate any student who takes A level examinations in October 2021 with results expected in February 2022.

The specific methodology shall be notified as an addendum to the PMC Medical and Dental Undergraduate Education (Admission, Curriculum and Conduct) Regulations 2021.

Published in Dawn, June 28th, 2021