Lahore, April 29: To standardize postgraduate clinical programs of MS, MD, and MDS across various medical universities in Punjab and bolster their international credibility, it has been decided to implement specialty-specific Joint Centralized Admission Tests (JCATs) instead of a common test for all specialties starting from the next induction cycle.
This decision was reached during the second meeting of the Inter-University Board, comprising the Vice-Chancellors of all public sector medical universities in the province, held on April 22. The board also agreed to raise the passing criteria from 60 percent to 75 percent for the test.
A meeting of focal persons from all medical universities was convened on Monday at the University of Health Sciences (UHS) to outline the procedures for conducting specialty-based JCATs for 11 different postgraduate specialties, including anesthesiology, obstetrics and gynecology, ophthalmology, radiology, psychiatry, ENT, medicine and allied, surgery and allied, community medicine, pathology, and dentistry. Chaired by UHS Vice-Chancellor Professor Ahsan Waheed Rathore, it was decided that, following the Inter-University Board’s decision, subject-specific admission tests would be conducted by King Edward Medical University Lahore. However, the syllabi for these tests will be formulated by the Specialty Advisory Committees, comprising faculty members specializing in the relevant fields from all medical universities in the province. These committees will also include faculty members from basic medical sciences to incorporate specific topics into the JCAT syllabi. The committees are expected to finalize the syllabi within two weeks. UHS being the biggest stakeholder with largest number of postgraduate trainees registered with it, is steering the process. Once prepared, the syllabi will undergo review by the syndicates of the medical universities for approval.
Addressing this initiative, UHS VC Professor Ahsan Waheed Rathore emphasized that the goal of conducting specialty-based JCATs is to elevate the standards of MD, MS, and MDS degrees offered by the universities and pave the way for their international recognition. He pointed out that even the FCPS part one examination, serving as an entry point into the diploma, is subject-specific. Therefore, he questioned the rationale behind having a common entry test for a master’s degree program across all specialties, emphasizing the importance of producing specialists. He reiterated UHS’s commitment to revamping these programs with the motto “Standardize Training, Standardize Assessment.”
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