Medical education: Colleges allowed to replace dropouts in first two years

PMDC makes assessment exams for house jobs mandatory.


Ali Usman July 30, 2013
The council decided that any student who failed to pass their first and second professional exams in four chances would not be eligible to continue their medical or dental studies.

LAHORE:


The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has allowed medical colleges to admit students in the first two years in place of those that drop out.


“In lieu of dropout students/vacant seats in the first two years, the institution may admit students in subsequent admissions so as to maintain the total admission strength allowed to the institution in the first two years,” reads a notification issued by Pakistan Medical and Dental Council Deputy Registrar Dr Shahista Faisal. No more than 10 per cent of allocated seats per year can be refilled.

The change in policy was authorised by the PMDC Executive Council.

A dropout will only be eligible for replacement if she is a registered student, admitted after due process.

The council decided that any student who failed to pass their first and second professional exams in four chances would not be eligible to continue their medical or dental studies. They would also not be eligible for fresh admission to an MBBS or BDS programme. Students who are expelled after failing their professional exams four times are not considered dropouts, states the notification.

The notification states that the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council office will decide which new students can be admitted in place of dropouts by January 30 each year. Students admitted without the PMDC’s permission will not be registered.

The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council has also decided to divide the mandatory house job for medical practitioners into two modules of six months each   the Module of Medicine and Allied and Module of Surgery and Allied – and leave it to the candidate to decide which courses to take under these modules.

The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council has made an assessment exam after the completion of the house job a requirement.

Earlier, a medical practitioner had to spend three months in medicine dealing with emergencies and out patients, two months in paediatrics and one month in psychiatry.

In the surgery module, a house officer had to work for three months in rotations in surgery sub-departments dealing with emergencies and outpatients, operations, and anaesthesia, two months in obstetrics and gynaecology and one month in radiology.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 30th, 2013.

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