Islamabad: The National Medical Authority on Monday announced the results of the recent National Licensing Examination Step-I (Medical) showing the foreign graduates fare badly.
However, the pass rate for those with MBBS degrees from the local colleges was very high. A total of 11,506 candidates had sat the examination to claim permanent Pakistan Medical Commission registration, which is mandatory to practice medicine in the country.
The exam was conducted in Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta, Multan and Islamabad from December 1 to December 6. According to the National Medical Authority, 8,069 graduates of medical colleges from across the country appeared in the NLE Step-I (Medical) and 7,233 of them were successful with the pass percentage coming to 89.64.
However, the pass rate for those graduated from foreign medical colleges was just 33.08 per cent. Those candidates totalled 3,437 and 1,137 of them passed the exam.
Shafqat Ali of the Combined Military Hospital Lahore Medical College stood first in the exam with a score of 88.50 per cent. The second position went to Abbas of the Sindh Medical College, Karachi, with 87.50 per cent marks, while the third was jointly claimed by Kamaluddin Azam of the Kabir Medical College, Peshawar, and Ayeza Nadeem Butt of the Services Institute of Medical Sciences, Lahore, by scoring 86.50 per cent in the exam.
Among the foreign graduates, Amanullah of the Yichun University School of Medicine, China, topped the exam with a score of 81 per cent.
A complete list of national and foreign medical colleges with the number of graduates sitting the NLE Step-I (Medical) from each institution and the number of successful candidates is available on the PMC's official website.
According to a spokesperson for the PMC, the exam results of the Pakistani graduates are heartening and qualifying the NLE is a fair indicator of the level of clinical training imparted in the colleges producing a high percentage of successful results.
"We [PMC] congratulate all the qualified graduates and welcome them as medical practitioners on issuance of the full licences on completion of the house job training."
The spokesperson, however, voiced concern about the exam performance of foreign graduates saying their poor pass rates have again highlighted its concerns about the quality of education especially clinical training being offered by many foreign medical colleges especially those in the non-English speaking countries, where there is a mushroom growth of such colleges offering offshore medical programmes based on a curriculum, which does not follow the locally recognised qualification for obtaining a license in these foreign countries.
Islamabad:In a major crackdown against human trafficking and illegal financial transactions, the Federal Investigation...
Rawalpindi: Regional Police Officer (RPO) Rawalpindi, Babar Sarfraz Alpa, conducted an open court at the regional...
Islamabad: CDA Mazdoor Union Chaudhry Muhammad Yasin Group secured landslide victory in the CDA referendum which was...
Islamabad: Islamabad Women's Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IWCCI) will hold an Eid gala to promote women's...
Islamabad:Dr Usman Chohan, Director, Economic Affairs & National Development, Centre for Aerospace & Security Studies...
Islamabad:Pakistan’s blue economy holds transformative potential as a strategic economic driver. However, unlocking...
Islamabad:Coordinator to the Prime Minister on Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Romina Khurshid Alam,...
Islamabad:Acting President Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that the facilitation of the business community is...