Special Advisor to World Federation for Medical Education (WFME), Prof. Dr. Janet Grant visited Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PM&DC) recently along with Prof. Dr. Umar Ali Khan Pro Vice Chancellor, Health Sciences, Isra University. Prof. Dr. Abid Farooqui, Vice President PMDC; Prof. Dr. Mubashir Malik, Special Advisor to President PMDC along with Dr. Wasim Hassan Registrar and Arshad Nawaz Acting Secretary PM&DC welcome them.
Sharing During the Meeting Prof. Dr. Janet Grant said that some information has been flouting in Pakistan that the World Federation of Medical Education has directed all the medical schools to follow a specific medical curriculum devised by WFME.
She informed that said according to WFME standards, it has been understood by some, that the standards are prescriptive, and a medical curriculum should be developed in exact accordance with them, regardless of the local needs and requirements. “We would like to clarify that this is untrue,” she added.
She said that the WFME standards were developed to help deans of medical schools, and staff who manage medical education and design the curriculum, in their work of making appropriate decisions for their own context in their respective countries. WFME does not prescribe any particular way of developing or managing the curriculum.” We do not promote any particular approach to curriculum design, teaching and learning, or assessment.”
The standards are intended to guide the development and evaluation of medical education programmes, to help diagnose strengths and weaknesses in the medical education programme, and to stimulate quality improvement.
She said that each institution or regulator should review the relevant standards and develop a version of them that is appropriate to their local context.
She said that WFME expects to see a wide variety of curriculum designs, teaching and learning approaches and assessment systems that are appropriate to their local context of their respective countries.
She said that WFME has no power to inspect or regulate individual medical schools. No medical school or regulator can ever claim that a chosen approach to curriculum design teaching and learning, or assessment is a WFME requirement.
PM&DC Vice President Prof. Dr. Abid Farooqui said that the council is following the guidelines and international standards provided by all the international organizations.
He assured her for all PM&DC support in clarifying the misconceptions regarding the WFME policies and direction in all the medical schools in Pakistan. In this regard he also directed to take measure to inform regarding the matter in all universities in Pakistan.
Prof. Dr. Mubashir Malik special advisor to President PM&DC also assured strict compliance on the matter. He apprised her that her visit shall be fruitful for the Pakistani medical education as she is highly professional in her field and WFME is a foundation to enhance and improve educational opportunities, research, and data resources that inform health care policies and create sustained improvements in health outcomes.
