US accredition body declares medical education standards in Pak comparable with US

[Naveed Yaseen]

The standards and processes employed for accreditation of medical schools in Pakistan are comparable to those being used in the United States, states a communique sent to the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) on behalf of the government of the United States to share the findings of a third-part evaluation conducted in Pakistan.

Sharing this distinction with the media at a press conference here on Monday, PMDC President Professor Dr. Syed Sibtul Hasnain said the National Committee for Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation (NCFMEA) of the United States Department of Education carried out a third-party non-partisan analysis of the accreditation and inspection processes and activities being followed in the field of medical education in Pakistan.

“Exhaustive documentation was demanded and minutely analyzed, and questions were asked on a variety of issues. After this, Pakistan was invited for defence of its replies before the National Committee for Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation. At this hearing, Pakistan presented its inspection protocols and activities and the standards of accreditation used by PMDC were declared comparable to US accreditation standards,” Professor Hasnain stated. He said this determination would hold till the next hearing in 2012.

This NCFMEA analysis and comparability is used by various US educational agencies and countries of the world as a determinant for gauging the quality of educational standards in a given country and is instrumental in grant of educational opportunities to its students and job opportunities to graduates across the globe.

Donor agencies will use this determination to fund American students, some of Pakistani descent, to study in Pakistan as a country having comparable standards. “This determination will prove to be a stepping stone for setting up of schemes and memorandums of understanding in the field of medical education in Pakistan, USA, Canada, the UK and the rest of the world,” Professor Hasnain remarked.

The PMDC, which is the accreditation, recognition and registration agency for medical and dental colleges in Pakistan, intends to utilise this status for securing educational opportunities and providing job opportunities to its doctors at the international level, especially in the Middle East.The press conference was also attended by PMDC Vice President Dr. Asim Hussain, and MNA and member of the PMDC Dr. Azra Fazal.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=201803