Vice-chancellors (VC) and deans of various medical universities from across the country are deliberating to establish a National Board for Medical Education to apply a uniform standard of post graduate medical education in the country, Pakistan Today has learnt.
The decision was taken in a meeting held at the King Edward Medical University (KEMU) in which around 37 deans and VCs from different universities across Pakistan participated.
The meeting decided that all medical universities should be taken into a single standard, which includes a uniform entry test and examination system for post graduate doctors. Senior doctors, privy to the meeting, said that the proposed board will govern all medical universities in the country and a decision has been taken to improve the standard of medical education.
KEMU Acting VC Professor Asad Aslam said that there are 24 medical and general universities in the country and all are carrying out their own programmes and lack uniformity and have a different mode of examination, entry tests and curriculum.
“The board has been proposed to have a uniformity of curriculum and a structured training programme for post graduate medical students. Quality assurance is our top priority and a consensus has been developed already as representatives from all universities from across the country participated,” he added.
This was the second meeting on the issue while the first meeting was hosted by Dow Medical University, while the next one will be hosted by the Quaid-e-Azam University Islamabad. Aslam said that the move will improve the standard of post graduate medical education in the country.
“India is miles ahead of us in post graduate medical education because it has a uniform national board, which governs the standard of education,” he added. After the meetings, parliamentarians will be approached to legislate accordingly and establish a national board.
