LAHORE, April 1: The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council has introduced a new criterion for overseas students desirous of getting admission to medical and dental education institutions in Pakistan.

The new criterion will be applicable from the academic session 2008.

Officials told Dawn on Tuesday that now the eligibility criteria for overseas candidates with qualification other than those from any board of intermediate and secondary education in Pakistan would be as: “Out of three science subjects, biology and chemistry are compulsory while the third science subject could be either physics or mathematics. Candidates need to submit SAT-II examination score with minimum 700 marks in each subject – chemistry, biology and physics or mathematics. Besides, valid TOFEL or IELT with a score of 500 or 5.5 is a must.”

They said the need to change the existing Intermediate Board of Chairman Committee (IBCC) criterion was felt after complaints that A-Level students suffered the most in the system.

They said that PMDC had asked Prof Masood Hameed Khan and Prof Majeed Choudhry to prepare a draft in this regard. The professors, after studying the education system for higher secondary education certificate in different countries, proposed this criterion which was subsequently approved by the council.

Meanwhile, the PMDC in its last meeting in Islamabad had considered various proposals from the faculty members regarding changes in the MBBS curriculum pertaining to examination of (Gynae & Obs and Pathology) in the fourth year while examination of ENT & Eye in the final year.

The PMDC took due cognizance of the fact that the council and the Higher Education Commission had jointly introduced the MBBS curriculum. The council observed that the new curriculum would be a binding on all medical institutions of the country and to maintain uniformity no deviation was acceptable from the Chapter III of the approved MBBS curriculum ‘scheme of studies’, which clearly defined subjects to be examined in each professional year.”

The executive committee of the council had recommended that to stay with the modern developments in the field of medicine and to cater to international and national needs of the students, the methodology of teaching, training and evaluation should regularly be reviewed.

The council asked the curriculum committee to put up its recommendations regarding the scheme of studies so that a uniform system was followed and implemented across the board. The council also directed that reminders should be issued to all universities of the country in this regard as that any aberration was corrected and brought in line with the national policy in vogue as enunciated by the PMDC and HEC in the MBBS curriculum.

—Zulqernain Tahir