Islamabad: The President of the World Federation of Medical Education (WFME), Mr. Ricardo León-Bórquez, called on the Federal Secretary of the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (NHSR&C), Iftikhar Ali Shallwani and the President of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PM&DC), Dr. Rizwan Taj to discuss the challenges faced by Pakistani medical students studying abroad. The meeting, which was also attended by PMDC International Coordination Consultant Mr. Farzand, focused on various aspects related to quality of medical education, recognition of Pakistani students qualified from foreign medical institutions and welfare of Pakistani medical students studying overseas.
Secretary Iftikhar Ali Shallwani and President PM&DC during the meeting emphasized the close collaboration between the Ministry of NHSR & C, PM&DC and medical institutions in Pakistan. He emphasized the importance of such cooperation to meet the country’s human resource requirements in the health sector. Appreciating the work of PM&DC, the Secretary said that PM&DC is an independent organization which is working effectively to solve the problems of medical students and practitioners.
One of the key issues discussed was the recognition of Pakistani students studying in foreign medical institutions, especially those not accredited by recognized accrediting agencies. Secretary Iftikhar Ali Shallwani and President PM&DC expressed concern over the difficulties these students face in getting their qualifications recognized after returning to Pakistan. He reaffirmed his commitment to ensure the welfare and recognition of Pakistani medical students studying abroad and promised to work closely with relevant stakeholders to effectively address the challenges they face.
The WFME president explained that their organization’s directory of medical facilities currently provides information on the total number of institutions in the country, regardless of accreditation status. He said efforts are underway to improve the directory by including specific details of accreditation of medical institutions from recognized agencies.
Iftikhar Ali Shallwani proposed the creation of a mechanism to negotiate with foreign countries to encourage the registration of their medical schools under the Pakistan Accreditation Agency. He suggested setting a timeline for foreign medical institutions that were not recognized by accrediting agencies, after which recognition would not be granted to Pakistani students enrolled in those institutions.
The three dignitaries reached a consensus to facilitate direct interaction between PMDC and accreditation agencies of other countries to speed up resolution of recognition issues and avoid future problems for Pakistani medical students studying abroad.
Furthermore, a proposal was submitted to establish a forum involving international accreditation agencies. The forum will meet regularly to address and resolve recognition issues faced by Pakistani medical students studying abroad.
