In Pakistan, a medical school is more often referred to as a medical college. A medical college is affiliated with a university as a department which usually has a separate campus. As of January 2019, there are a total of 114 medical colleges in Pakistan, 44 of which are public and 70 private. All but two colleges are listed in International Medical Education Directory. As per Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) 2021 database, there are 176 medical colleges in Pakistan (Medical and Dental Colleges), including 45 public sector and 72 private sector medical colleges. In addition, there are 17 public sector and 42 private sector dental colleges.
All medical colleges and universities are regulated by the respective provincial department of health. They however have to be recognized after meeting a set criteria by a central regulatory authority called Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) and by Higher Education Commission (Pakistan). Admission to the medical colleges is based on merit under the guidelines of PMDC. Both the academic performance at the Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSSC) (grades 11–12) and an entrance test like MDCAT determine eligibility for admission to most of the medical colleges.
Admission process To get admission into any government medical college, the weightage is determined by the provincial or federal government. A minimum weightage of 50% should be given to the MDCAT. In order to get admission into any private medical college, the following weightage is used: 50% to the score obtained in Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) weighted as follows: Biology: 45% Chemistry: 25% Physics: 20% English: 5% Logical Reasoning: 5% 40% to marks of Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSSC) Pre-Medical. 10% to marks of Secondary School Certificate (SSC) Science.
The minimum requirements are: 65% or above in F-SC /HSSC or A-Levels equivalent IBCC certificate. 55% or above in NMDCAT for admission in Medical Colleges and 45% or above for Dental Colleges. The Pakistani government exerts tight control over the available number of open medical school seats in both private and public colleges. The regulation forbids all colleges from admitting any student over the allocated maximum seats for the college under any circumstances.
Medical seats
+ Number of registered MBBS and BDS Seats Allocation (PK) Province Public Private TotalMBBSBDSMBBSBDSAll Azad Kashmir 330 0 100 0 430 Balochistan 470 54 150 0 674 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 1435 319 1200 325 3,279 Punjab and Islamabad 4200 344 6100 1,625 12,269 Sindh 2800 450 1750 590 5,590 Total 9,235 1,167 9,300 2,540 22,242
Punjab and Islamabad
Sindh
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK)
Balochistan
Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK)
Curriculum 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).
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:
First Professional Year – Part I and II: Anatomy Cell Biology and Histology Cross-sectional Anatomy Embryology Gross Anatomy Neuroanatomy Radiological Anatomy Surface Anatomy Human Physiology Medical Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Human Genetics
Second Professional Year: Behavioral Sciences and Medical Ethics Legal/Forensic Medicine and Toxicology General Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology Pharmacology, Pharmacognosy and Therapeutics Third Professional Year: Community Medicine*also called Social or Public Health Medicine Ophthalmology Otorhinolaryngostomatology (ENT) Special/Systemic Pathology
Fourth (final) Professional Year: Internal Medicine Medicine I Angiology Cardiology Gastroenterology Hematology Hepatology Medical Oncology Neurology Osteology Pulmonology Rheumatology Medicine II Critical Care Medicine Dermatology Endocrinology Infectious and Venereal diseases Nephrology Psychiatry Gynecology and Obstetrics Pediatrics
Surgery Surgery I Anesthesiology Operative Care Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Radiology, Radiotherapy and Radiosurgery Surgical Infections Surgical and Radiation Oncology Traumatology (including Burns) Surgery II Bariatric Surgery Cardiothoracic Surgery General Surgery Abdominal Surgery Breast Surgery Endocrine Surgery Endoscopic Surgery Laparoscopic Surgery Neurosurgery Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Orthopedic Surgery Pediatric Surgery Urology (includes Andrology) Vascular Surgery
* includes Nutrition, Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Research Methods, Health education, Family Planning, Occupational, Environmental, Preventive and Tropical Medicine.
Assessment methods
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:
Community Medicine Basic Health Unit (BHU) Dog bite center Factory or industrial unit Hospital waste disposal site Maternal and Child Health Center (MCHC) Orphanage Primary school Rehabilitation center Retirement home Rural Health Center (RHC) Special education institute Vaccination center Water purification plant
Dermatology Skin laser clinic Venereal disease control center Legal and Forensics Medicine Autopsy rooms Courtrooms Site of exhumation Internal Medicine Cancer research center Diabetes clinic Emergency room Intensive care unit Obstetrics Abortion clinic Labor room
Ophthalmology Eye laser clinic Orthoptics clinic Otorhinolaryngology Acoustics laboratory Hearing aid center Speech therapy clinic Pathology Pathology museum Psychiatry Mental asylum Surgery Burns unit Orthotic prosthetic center
Foundation year 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. 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.
Internal medicine (3 months) – compulsory module Medicine allied (3 months) – options include: Cardiology Dermatology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Hematology Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pathology Pediatric medicine Psychiatry Pulmonology (chest medicine) Rheumatology
General surgery (3 months) – compulsory module Surgery allied (3 months) – options include: Anesthesiology and intensive care medicine Cardiovascular surgery ENT, head and neck surgery Gynecology and Obstetrics Neurosurgery Ophthalmology Orthopedics Plastic and reconstructive surgery Pediatric surgery Radiology and radiosurgery Thoracic surgery Urology
Public health education All medical students are taught various aspects of public health such as: Auxology Biological Weaponry and Hazards Biostatistics Case Reporting Child and Maternal Healthcare Community Dentistry Community Genetics and Genomics Community Ophthalmology Community Psychiatry Data Collection and Archiving Disaster Management Environmental Medicine (including Sanitation and Hospital Waste Management) Epidemiology and Epidemic Control Euthenics Family Planning and Birth Control Food, Nutrition and Hygiene Global Health and Organizations Health Economics Health Education Health Surveillance Healthcare Systems Healthcare Infrastructure and Ergonomics Labor Health Occupational Safety and Medicine Outreach Methods Population Demographics Preventive Medicine (including vaccines) Rehabilitative Care Research Methods Resource Allocation Pharmaceutical Policy and Drug Trials Public Health Law and Reforms Social Health Determinants Tropical Medicine and Vector Control Telemedicine Venereal Disease Control and HIV/AIDS
See also Medical school Pakistan Medical and Dental Council List of medical schools in Islamabad List of medical schools in Punjab, Pakistan List of medical schools in Sindh List of medical schools in Balochistan List of medical schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa List of medical schools in Azad Kashmir List of universities in Pakistan List of universities in Islamabad List of universities of Punjab, Pakistan List of universities in Sindh List of universities in Balochistan List of universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa List of universities in Azad Kashmir List of universities in Gilgit-Baltistan
References
External links PMDC official website