Medical education: PMA opposes evening courses

LAHORE: The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has criticised the Pakistan and Medical Dental Council (PMDC) for proposing that medical colleges start holding evening shifts.

The federal government has asked the provinces to quickly make arrangements for evening classes in public and private colleges.

The PMA said that this would be difficult since there was already a shortage of teachers and facilities.

A PMA spokesman said that not a single medical college in the country had a complete medical faculty.

“Most importantly, teachers of basic medical sciences are not available,” he said.

Under PMDC regulations, each medical college must have a 500-bed teaching hospital where it can train doctors, but he said most colleges did not have this.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 18^th,  2011.