ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Medical Commission’s (PMC) Medical and Dental Council has approved the new medical and dental teaching hospitals and colleges accreditation standards including the new undergraduate faculty criteria.

According to a statement, the accreditation standards for medical and dental teaching hospitals for undergraduate, house job and postgraduate were formulated by the National Medical and Dental Academic Board and recommended to the council for approval.

The council recorded their appreciation and gratitude for the immense work done by the National Medical and Dental Academic Board in formulating the standards.

The council also approved the standards for medical and dental undergraduate colleges which are also formulated by the National Medical and Dental Academic Board.

These will be shared with the Higher Education Commission which is required to ensure that the designated universities ensure compliance with the undergraduate college standards. The new standards will be published by the authority and made available to all colleges along with the new accreditation and registration regulations which are in the process of finalisation, incorporating the new approved standards.

The Medical and Dental Council also reviewed the undergraduate medical and dental curriculums proposed by the National Medical and Dental Academic Board. The council decided to place the proposed curriculums on the PMC website to obtain views of the universities and colleges, after that the final curriculums will be formulated and approved,” it stated.

Moreover, the Baluchistan chief secretary, Balochistan health secretary and the principals of the three newly recognised medical colleges gave a detailed briefing to the council on the issue of regularisation of students who were irregularly inducted in three public medical colleges of Baluchistan namely; Jhalawan Medical College, Khuzdar; Makran Medical College, Turbat; and Loralai Medical College, Loralai, which were recognized and registered with the Authority in 2021.

“The Medical and Dental Council has been proactively attending to these issues and directed the authority to prepare a detailed report on an urgent basis for further discussion with the Balochistan government.

“It was agreed that the council and the Balochistan chief secretary shall schedule another meeting within the next 15 days to consider the issue in detail.

“It is to ensure that the issues of the aspirant students are duly considered while ensuring no legal mandate of merit and transparency is violated, in the best interest of all concerned,” statement concluded.

Published in Dawn, February 20th, 2022