By Hina Kiyani
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Azam Nazeer Tarar informed the National Assembly on Monday that the accreditation examinations for doctors getting degrees from abroad would now be held twice a year. Responding to a calling attention notice about changes in the policy by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council regarding the accreditation examination for foreign-qualified doctors, Minister Tarar stated that the first test would take place in June and the second in December.
The examinations would be conducted regularly as per the new instructions, he added. The minister said that the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council had redesigned the examination format and reduced the passing benchmark from 70 percent to 60 percent. He highlighted the importance of such examinations, saying it was crucial for every country to conduct accreditation tests or equivalence examinations for international degree holders, especially in matters concerning precious human lives. He affirmed that Pakistan could overlook the responsibility and must ensure proper evaluation of foreign-qualified doctors through such tests.
Meanwhile, The National Assembly on Monday passed a motion to constitute the Special Committee on Gender Mainstreaming including members from both the Houses of the Parliament. Minister for Housing and Works Riaz Hussain Pirzada moved the motion under rule 244 (B) of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly 2007. House passed the motion to constitute the special committee which would make recommendations to the National Assembly on matters pertaining to women empowerment.
Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said that the House would make best legislation through consensus to empower the women. “We should not only further empower the women through laws but also to support them,” he added.
