ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PM&DC) on Thursday commenced a three-day National CME/CPD Capacity-Building Workshop titled “Designing High-Impact CME / CPD: From Concept to Completion” in Islamabad.
The workshop, being held from August 27 to 29, 2026, is chaired by PM&DC President Prof Dr Rizwan Taj and has brought together institutional leaders, medical educationists, faculty members and representatives of medical and dental institutions from across the country.
The workshop was inaugurated by the chief guest, Lt Gen Wasim Alamgir, Vice Chancellor of the National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS), Rawalpindi.
Speaking at the opening session, Prof Dr Rizwan Taj said lifelong learning was vital for maintaining professional competence and upholding high standards of patient care. He said PM&DC was committed to developing a credible, practical, transparent and sustainable national CME/CPD system to help doctors and dentists regularly update their knowledge, improve skills and strengthen professional practice.
He said the initiative was not aimed merely at adding another regulatory requirement, but at promoting a genuine culture of continuous learning and professional development. He stressed the need for collaboration among PM&DC, universities, medical and dental institutions, professional bodies, healthcare organisations and practitioners to establish a nationally regulated and quality-assured system.
Lt Gen Wasim Alamgir appreciated PM&DC’s initiative and underlined the importance of continuous professional development in enabling healthcare professionals to keep pace with advances in medical science, technology and clinical practice. He noted that such development ultimately contributed to better patient care.
The workshop covers the complete CME/CPD cycle, including identification of professional practice gaps and educational needs, measurable learning objectives, educational design, integrity and independence, evaluation of outcomes, governance, documentation, monitoring and quality assurance.
According to PM&DC, the objective is to establish a transparent, credible and internationally aligned CME/CPD framework under which activities are properly accredited, documented, monitored and recognised. The framework is also intended to support the professional development, global recognition and employability of Pakistani doctors and dentists.
The initiative is being undertaken in accordance with the Pakistan Medical & Dental Council Act, 2022, including Sections 2(c), 47(2)(k) and 27, which provide the legal framework for recognising CPD opportunities and organisations and for establishing uniform minimum CPD standards for registered graduate and postgraduate medical and dental practitioners.
