Medical colleges performance to be evaluated annually
Islamabad:01 July:Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has planned to evaluate the performance of all public and private medical and dental colleges to have their annual quality categorisation and pointing out loopholes in the system.
According to an official of PMDC, all medical and dental colleges will be graded into five categories from A+ to D based on performance and facilities and faculty basis with a purpose to assist students in making their choices as well as enabling colleges to improve their quality.
As a first step the council has decided to inspect all existing public and private medical and dental colleges in the single largest inspection ever undertaken where all 167 colleges will be inspected on the new frameworks this year.
He said the inspection system has been developed to provide for a transparent and merit based system. He added inspections will be carried out on a periodical basis of the colleges on an annual or two or three year basis.
He said that a new organogram of the organization has been approved which has setup the necessary departments with each department being headed by a Head of Department and supervising the different sections and management officers in such sections with the implementation of the best governance practices of the industry.
He said that the council has formulated a policy to impose a revalidation requirement upon doctors in line with best international practices rather than merely renewing their license after a specific period.
The official said this step will help doctors to have update on modern developments and techniques to ensure best quality treatment to patients. He said the council has initiated major IT reforms and currently there is a definitive lack of digital enablement at the PMDC.
He added steps have been taken on an urgent basis to further improve efficiency by implementing a policy of immediate automation and digitisation of all resources. He said the digital portal is being designed to enable public to verify doctors credentials including specialization through a mobile application.
The digital portal will also enable public to submit their complaints online as well as well review any disciplinary action taken against any doctor. He said the council has decided to install proprietary software to provide for digitalization and electronic access of the registration processes undertaken by the PMDC. These systems will allow students and doctors to apply and renew their licenses and obtain other certifications through an online system, he added.The news.
