After completing mandatory requirements, the PMC has been declared eligible for the WFME recognition program.
The PMC is the successor to the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) which was dissolved by the Supreme Court of Pakistan in 2018 following the proliferation of dozens of medical institutions of compromised quality that opened all over the country.
Challenged by the Medical Association of Pakistan, the Court acknowledged that the PMDC had been taken over by vested interest groups and was not following its own rules and regulations.
The dissolution of the PMDC placed Pakistan in a precarious position as without a medical education accrediting authority, the country would not be able to meet the 2024 deadline for WFME recognition status, thus preventing future graduates of from pursuing further education in the US.
The PMDC was replaced by the Pakistan Medical Council (PMC) and the race was on to meet all requirements to make the latter eligible to apply for WFME recognition. In August, 2022 the WFME approved PMC and the process has now commenced.
The development is very significant for the US as, according to OECD.stat, Pakistan is the fourth largest source (circa 550/year) of their foreign doctors and make up about 5% of all foreign physicians and surgeons.
For more information see here.
