List of medical schools in Pakistan
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.
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 & Dental Council and by Higher Education Commission. Entrance into the medical colleges is based on merit under the guidelines of PMDC. Both the academic performance at the Higher Secondary School Certificate and an entrance test like MDCAT are taken into consideration for the eligibility to enter most of the medical colleges.
Admission Process
To get admission into any government or private medical college in Pakistan, the following weightage is considered according to PMDC:- 50% to Marks of entrance test like Medical and Dental College Admission Test
- 50% to Marks of Higher Secondary School Certificate Pre-Medical
Medical seats
Curriculum
After successfully completing five years of theoretical and practical training in the medical college and affiliated teaching hospitals the graduates are awarded a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degree. The graduates are then eligible to apply for a medical license from the PMDC. The curriculum for all colleges, irrespective of their regional location and university affiliation, is designed by PMDC. The curriculum spans a term of five years or seasons.- First year
- Second year
- Third year
- Fourth year
- Fifth/final year
- 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
- *Islamiat/Theology and Pakistan Studies
- 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*
- *Ophthalmology
- *Otorhinolaryngostomatology
- *Special/Systemic Pathology
- Fourth 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
- *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
- **Vascular Surgery
Assessment methods
Theoretical, practical and clinical knowledge is assessed by one or more of the following methods; multiple choice questions, short essay questions, short answer questions, laboratory skills, viva voce, and objective structured clinical examination. 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 at the affiliated teaching hospitals is also compulsory for all medical students, especially in their second, third and fourth 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
- *Dog bite center
- *Factory or industrial unit
- *Hospital waste disposal site
- *Maternal and Child Health Center
- *Orphanage
- *Primary school
- *Rehabilitation center
- *Retirement home
- *Rural Health Center
- *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
- Internal medicine - compulsory module
- Medicine allied - options include:
- *Cardiology
- *Dermatology
- *Endocrinology
- *Gastroenterology
- *Hematology
- *Nephrology
- *Neurology
- *Oncology
- *Pathology
- *Pediatric medicine
- *Psychiatry
- *Pulmonology
- *Rheumatology
- General surgery - compulsory module
- Surgery allied - 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
List of Medical Colleges
Punjab and Islamabad
Public
Private
Sindh
Public
Private
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Public
Private
Balochistan
Public
Private
Azad Jammu and Kashmir
Public
Private
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
- 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
- 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