2,675 sit PMDC’s national registration exams

Council says successful candidate would appear in step 2 exams

ISLAMABAD:

More than 2,600 candidates took part in the National Registration Examination (NRE) step I, in Lahore, Peshawar, Karachi and Rawalpindi, the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) said on Sunday.

It said in a statement that the NRE was conducted with the aim of reforming and improving the healthcare education and service delivery standards. It added that the candidates were given best possible facilities during the exams.

“In all, 2,675 candidates appeared in the NRE,” the PMDC said. “The NRE step one exam was a theoretical MCQ [multiple-choice question]-based, basic and clinical sciences evaluation exam for foreign medical graduates to qualify,” it added.

The PMDC statement said that upon clearing the NRE step 1, candidates would become eligible for the step 2, which focused on "clinical evaluation" for obtaining a permanent licence.

The primary objective of the NRE, as emphasised in the PMDC statement, is to assess the competency, knowledge, and skills of graduates to ensure they are qualified to be a 'safe doctor' with the authority to treat patients independently.

The NRE is designed to safeguard the rights of patients and to encourage capable and knowledgeable students to pursue practice in the mainstream medical field, the PMDC president highlighted in the statement.