The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PM and DC) has initiated a landmark shift in its oversight of medical education, launching the nation’s first-ever digital inspection system on Tuesday to enhance transparency and enforce rigorous quality standards across all medical and dental colleges.
The regulatory body inaugurated a pioneering three-day National Inspector Pilot Training program, a move described by PM and DC President Prof. Dr. Rizwan Taj as a ‘momentous step toward strengthening inspection standards and advancing digital transformation in the national accreditation process.’
During the opening ceremony, Prof. Dr. Taj expressed gratitude for the backing of Federal Minister for Health, NHSR and C, Syed Mustafa Kamal. He credited the minister’s support for facilitating key initiatives that empower the council to function with greater autonomy and a clearer sense of purpose.
The pilot initiative has gathered 60 master trainers and inspectors from Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, ICT, and the Armed Forces. This extensive representation is designed to ensure national-level inclusivity and the harmonization of assessment criteria.
Attendees are receiving intensive, hands-on training on “Digit-Inspect,” the country’s inaugural digital inspection platform, alongside an updated Inspector Guide. The primary objective is to equip these Master Trainers to lead future capacity-building sessions in their respective regions and to thoroughly test the new digital system.
The first day of the workshop was dedicated to comprehensive discussions, digital system briefings, and familiarization with updated inspection proformas, including the new Proforma 350. The participants were organized into 10 multidisciplinary teams covering fields from Basic Sciences and Hospital Management to Biomedical and Civil Engineering.
On the second day, these teams are scheduled to conduct field-based digital mock inspections at ten medical and dental institutions. This practical phase will involve applying standardized assessment tools in real-time, testing the operational logistics of the Digi-Inspect system, and evaluating on-ground compliance.
The program will conclude on its third day with the consolidation of findings, alignment on scoring protocols, and the collection of vital feedback. The outcomes will inform the final recommendations for the nationwide rollout of the advanced digital inspection framework.
Following the successful completion of this pilot, further regional trainings are planned for Karachi, Lahore, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, ICT/Rawalpindi, and with the Armed Forces to ensure comprehensive coverage. Through this digital transformation, PM and DC reinforces its commitment to aligning Pakistan’s medical and dental education with global benchmarks using innovation and robust evaluation mechanisms.