PMDC Extends During Of Bachelor Of Dental Surgery Degree From Four To Five Years

Abdullah Hussain (@Abdulla99267510) Published November 29, 2024 | 01:14 PM

Under new system, fifth year of BDS degree will involve clerkship followed by a one-year mandatory house job

LAHORE: (UrduPoint/UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News-Nov 29^th, 2024) Following the lead of the University of Health Sciences (UHS), the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) on Friday extended duration of the Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) degree from four to five years.

The BDS degree programme would now be a five years programme.

PMDC issued directives to all universities across Pakistan to implement this new structure. The Council said that the five-year BDS programme is the standard internationally.

UHS had already transitioned its BDS degree to a five-year programme, with the UHS Vice-Chancellor informing PMDC about this development.

In a virtual meeting with PMDC officials, the framework for the new five-year curriculum was presented.

In response, the PMDC issued a notification to all medical universities in Pakistan, outlining the change.

The decision was made in part because Pakistani graduates of the four-year BDS programme have faced challenges in seeking higher education and job opportunities abroad.

Under the new system, the fifth year of the BDS degree would involve clerkship, followed by a one-year mandatory house job.

Besides it, for earlier BDS graduates, the house job would now be recognized as a clerkship year. The PMDC started working on developing detailed curriculum guidelines for the revised BDS programme.

The PMDC confirmed that the five-year BDS programme will be implemented starting from the 2024-25 academic session. To align previous graduates with the new structure, universities will issue updated transcripts.