List of medical schools in Pakistan

From Bharatpedia, an open encyclopedia

In Pakistan, medical schools are commonly referred to as medical colleges. These colleges are affiliated with universities and typically operate as separate departments within distinct campuses. As of January 2019, there were a total of 114 medical colleges in Pakistan, comprising 44 public and 70 private institutions. Most of these colleges, except for two, are recognized in the International Medical Education Directory. According to the Pakistan Medical Commission's 2021 database, the number of medical colleges has increased to 176, which includes 45 public sector and 72 private sector medical colleges, along with 17 public sector and 42 private sector dental colleges.

All medical colleges and universities in Pakistan are regulated by their respective provincial health departments. However, they must also gain recognition from central regulatory authorities, specifically the Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) and the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan. Admission to medical colleges is merit-based, following the guidelines set by the PMC. Eligibility for admission is determined by both academic performance in the Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSSC) (grades 11–12) and an entrance examination, typically the National Medical and Dental College Admission Test (NMDCAT).

Admission Process[edit]

For admission into government medical colleges, the weightage criteria are established by the provincial or federal government, with a minimum of 50% weightage assigned to the NMDCAT score. The weightage for admission into private medical colleges is distributed as follows:

  • 50% of the score is derived from the NMDCAT, broken down as:
    • Biology: 32%
    • Chemistry: 26.5%
    • Physics: 26.5%
    • English: 10%
    • Logical Reasoning: 5%
  • 40% is allocated to marks obtained in the Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSSC) Pre-Medical stream.
  • 10% is based on marks from the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) Science.

Minimum Requirements[edit]

To qualify for admission, students must meet the following criteria:

  • Achieve 65% or above in F-SC / HSSC or an equivalent A-Levels certificate recognized by the Inter Board Committee of Chairmen (IBCC).
  • Obtain at least 55% in the NMDCAT for medical college admission and 45% for dental college admission.

The Pakistani government maintains strict control over the number of available medical school seats in both public and private colleges. Regulations prohibit any college from admitting students beyond its allocated maximum capacity under any circumstances.

Medical seats[edit]

Number of registered MBBS and BDS Seats Allocation (PK)[1][2]
Province Public Private Total
MBBS BDS MBBS BDS All
PIOJK[3] 330 0 100 0 430
Balochistan 470 54 150 0 674
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 1,435 319 1,200 325 3,279
Punjab and Islamabad 4,200 344 6,100 1,625 12,269
Sindh 2,800 450 1,750 590 5,590
Total 9,235 1,167 9,300 2,540 22,242

Curriculum[edit]

After successfully completing five years of theoretical and practical (clinical) training in the medical college and affiliated teaching hospitals the graduates are awarded a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) degree. The graduates are then eligible to apply for a medical license from the PMC. The curriculum for all colleges, irrespective of their regional location and university affiliation, is designed by PMC. The curriculum spans a term of five years or seasons (four professional years).[citation needed]

  • First year (first professional year – part 1)
  • Second year (first professional year – part 2)
  • Third year (second professional year)
  • Fourth year (third professional year)
  • Fifth/final year (fourth professional year)

Main courses of the curriculum, respective of the academic year they are examined in, are as follows:

* includes Nutrition, Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Research Methods, Health education, Family Planning, Occupational, Environmental, Preventive and Tropical Medicine.

Assessment methods[edit]

Theoretical, practical and clinical knowledge is assessed by one or more of the following methods; multiple choice questions (MCQs), short essay questions (SEQs), short answer questions (SAQs), laboratory skills, viva voce, and objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). Required laboratory training is provided in biochemistry, histology, physiology, pharmacology, toxicology, pathology including hematology, immunology and microbiology. Teaching in gross anatomy is assisted by exploratory dissection of cadavers. A mandatory group research project is also to be submitted by the students before the fourth professional examination in the community medicine department. Students are also taught diagnostic imaging and technical report writing in the radiology department.

Clinical training and evaluation sessions (or clerkship) at the affiliated teaching hospitals is also compulsory for all medical students, especially in their second, third and fourth (final) professional years. These include observation, assisting and practice in various emergency, outpatient, inpatient and operative settings in the following rotating disciplines: anesthesiology, cardiology, dermatology, general surgery, gynaecology, internal medicine, obstetrics, ophthalmology, orthoptics, orthopedics, otorhinolaryngology, acoustics, pediatrics, psychiatry, radiology and urology.

Visits to various locations for the purposes of training and understanding of social, legal, communal and preventive aspects of health are also conducted if possible, such as:

Foundation year[edit]

Once the student has graduated after passing his or her final (fourth professional) examination, he or she is eligible to apply for a seat as a house officer in either the attached hospital of the college (usually as a paid employee) or in any other tertiary health care hospital (usually as an unpaid employee or "honorary"). The graduate has to first register (provisional) with and acquire a certificate from PMDC. The house officer has to serve for 12 months (foundation year) at one or more hospitals in four modules; 3 months in internal medicine, 3 months in general surgery, 3 months in medicine allied and 3 months in surgery allied in any order.[4] The graduate can then apply for a medical practice license from PMDC which will allow the medical graduate to work as a registered medical professional anywhere in the country and study for higher specialties/qualifications.

Public health education[edit]

All medical students are taught various aspects of public health such as:

References[edit]

  1. ↑ "Public Medical Colleges". Pakistani Medical Commission. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  2. ↑ "Private Medical Colleges". Pakistan Medical Commission. 2020. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  3. ↑ Pakistan illegal occupied Jammu-Kashmir
  4. ↑ "Medical training: New structure for house job introduced - The Express Tribune". 18 June 2011.

Read also[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_medical_schools_in_Pakistan&oldid=460609"