The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has made it mandatory for medical colleges to establish family medicine departments as part of efforts to strengthen primary healthcare services in the country.
The council has also decided to integrate 75 teaching hours of family medicine into the undergraduate medical curriculum and introduce a three-year optional house job rotation pathway to enhance primary care training and community-based healthcare delivery.
The decisions were reviewed during a meeting chaired by PMDC President Prof. Dr. Rizwan Taj and attended by PMDC Registrar Dr. Rehan Naqvi and representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO).
According to PMDC, family medicine is becoming increasingly important in addressing Pakistan’s healthcare challenges, including non-communicable diseases, mental health issues, maternal and child healthcare needs, and the growing demands of an ageing population.
The council said the reforms are aimed at developing a healthcare workforce capable of providing comprehensive and patient-centered care at the community level.
WHO representatives appreciated the PMDC’s efforts to institutionalize family medicine within Pakistan’s medical education and healthcare systems and emphasized its role in building effective and equitable healthcare services.
Prof. Dr. Rizwan Taj said strengthening family medicine remains essential to building an accessible, equitable and resilient healthcare system in Pakistan.
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