Islamabad: The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has moved to strengthen continuing education for doctors and dentists, saying a credible national system is needed to keep healthcare professionals updated on new medical knowledge, clinical skills and evolving standards of patient care.
The council said its proposed Continuing Medical Education and Continuing Professional Development (CME/CPD) framework would support lifelong learning among registered practitioners and help medical and dental professionals remain competent throughout their careers.
The initiative assumes importance as medical knowledge, treatment guidelines, diagnostic tools and clinical technologies change rapidly, requiring doctors and dentists to regularly update their skills after completing formal undergraduate and postgraduate training.
PMDC President Prof Dr Rizwan Taj said the council was working to develop a transparent, credible and quality-assured CME/CPD system in line with international best practices.He said the objective was to ensure that Pakistani doctors and dentists remained up to date in knowledge, skills and professional practice, ultimately contributing to safer and improved patient care.
The council’s plans were discussed at a three-day national capacity-building workshop in Islamabad, attended by institutional heads, medical educationists, faculty members and representatives of medical and dental institutions from across the country.
The workshop focused on how institutions can identify gaps in professional practice and educational needs, develop measurable learning objectives, design relevant training programmes and assess whether such activities improve clinical practice.
Participants also discussed governance, documentation, monitoring, quality assurance, outcome evaluation and the need to ensure integrity and independence in continuing education activities.
PM&DC officials said an effective CME/CPD system should not be limited to attendance at seminars or conferences but should be linked to the actual learning needs of healthcare professionals and the quality of care delivered to patients.
