The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council has introduced new strict conditions and reforms for students seeking medical and dental education abroad, under which PM&DC registration has been made mandatory before pursuing foreign medical education.
During an important meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, it was decided that no student would be allowed to pursue medical education abroad without passing the MDCAT examination.
The meeting emphasized aligning medical education standards with international requirements and ensuring transparency.
The committee directed that only those foreign medical institutions would be considered acceptable which are included in the PM&DC approved list and recognized by the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME).
It was also decided during the meeting that graduates obtaining medical degrees from abroad would be required to pass the National Registration Examination, while a minimum of 6,200 teaching hours and 80 percent attendance have also been made mandatory for medical education.
The committee instructed students studying in non English speaking countries to first learn the local language, while students have also been made bound to provide their accommodation and contact information before departing abroad.
The meeting stressed transparent and merit based inspections of medical and dental colleges, stating that any negligence or irregularity in the inspection process would not be tolerated and a zero tolerance policy would be adopted in this regard.
