Karachi: Pfizer Pakistan Limited and College of Family Medicine Pakistan (CFMP) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in August,2015 to pledge and support a sustained medical education of general practitioners (GPs). By virtue of this collaboration, Pfizer Pakistan will support Membership of theCollege of Family Medicine Pakistan – affiliated with Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), UK – for more than 170 General Physicians (GPs) from acrossPakistan.
The signing ceremony was held at the CFMP head office in Karachi. Pfizer Pakistan will propose nominations and offer enrollment for various Continuing Medical Education (CMEs) for general physicians practicing in Pakistan in accordance with the eligibility criteria prescribed by CFMP. Apart from the programs that areconducted in major cities, small towns will be reached through Distance Learning Programs (DLPs), where the GPs will learn remotely through the help of technology.Every GP has to undergo a test to qualify for next module. These training courses will include Research methodology, Ethics in Medicine workshop and case scenarios, Counselling Skills, and various other courses to enhance the GPs Skills to treat the patient better.
Dr. Farid Khan, Country Manager of Pfizer Pakistan, in his message to CFMP said, “We are very pleased to share that we are making significant investments in continuingmedical education for the physicians in Pakistan. After the Credit Hour CMEs, this internationally recognized and comprehensive training program for General physicianswill greatly help in enhancing their medical knowledge for better diagnosis and management of patients.”
CFMP thanked Pfizer for this support in enrollment of over 170 physicians in the program. Dr Shehla Naseem, Secretary General CFMP recognized the importance ofcontinuing education for GPs, “Physicians in Pakistan have to constantly undergo education programs carried out by renowned medical bodies since so manyadvancements in treatment regimen are taking place globally and we need to be up to date,” she said.
All CME’s including MRCGP, DLP and PDP are one-year programs in Family Medicine recognized by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) in the UK for candidatesresiding in South Asia and the Middle East. The candidate is recognized as a member of the RCGP after passing this MRCGP examination. It can be considered as thegold standard for postgraduate training in family medicine.
