October 27, 2020
The Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) on Tuesday announced an important clarification for foreign medical graduates regarding the issuance of their licenses.
“A person, having obtained an under-graduate medical or dental qualification issued by a university in Pakistan or an undergraduate medical or dental qualification issued by a foreign institution duly recognised by the commission shall be granted a provisional license to undertake his house job within fourteen days of verification of their qualification by the granting institution," the PMC said in a statement.
The PMC said that a person who has been granted a provisional license should complete the mandatory requirement of passing the National Licensing Exam (NLE) at any time before the issuance of a full license.
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Therefore, if the foreign graduate has obtained their qualification from a college which is recognised by the commission:
- They will receive a provisional license to do their house job in Pakistan
- Their full license will be issued after they pass their NLE.
Furthermore,
- If they complete their house job, their provisional license will expire and they will be required to take the NLE to obtain a Full License.
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- The Good Standing Certificate has nothing to do with NLE. It will only be issued if they have a valid license issued by the commission to practice medicine in Pakistan.
- The only exemption from NLE is under Section 20(3), where it allows a full license to be issued to a practitioner who is licensed to practice in a foreign country and has acquired a recognized post-graduate qualification.