The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has officially started digital inspections of medical and dental colleges across Pakistan, marking a significant step toward a modernized and standardized approval system. The initiative was announced alongside the launch of the National Inspector Pilot Training Program in Islamabad, designed to train inspectors in using the newly developed proforma 350 for assessments.
Dr. Rizwan Taj, President of PMDC, highlighted the importance of this three-day training, which includes 60 experts from across the country, and praised Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal for his guidance in making the program successful. The digital inspections aim to evaluate college standards, infrastructure, faculty quality, and overall compliance with national regulations, enhancing transparency and accountability.
The pilot phase has already involved ten multidisciplinary teams conducting digital inspections in various institutions. Non-compliant colleges are given a six-month grace period to improve their facilities before any penalties are imposed. Importantly, the admission process at these institutions will continue uninterrupted to ensure students are not affected.
This initiative comes after PMDC’s earlier inspections conducted at the start of the year and follows recent government directives to ensure quality standards in both public and private sector medical colleges. Over the past five years, private medical colleges have been collecting excessive fees, prompting a ban on fee collection until the Medical Education Committee submits its recommendations. The committee, chaired by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, is currently reviewing challenges faced by private medical universities and colleges.
The PMDC’s move toward digital inspections is seen as a transformative step for Pakistan’s medical education sector, modernizing inspection processes, ensuring compliance, and promoting accountability in higher medical education institutions.
