PMDC launches digital inspections system for medical and dental colleges

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PMDC) has officially launched a national digital inspections system for medical and dental colleges, concluding a three-day National Inspector Pilot Training designed to modernize and standardize accreditation across Pakistan. The pilot, Digi-Inspect, Pakistan’s first digital inspection platform, trained 60 participants from all provinces and validated the updated Inspector Guide and Proforma 350.

The program aims to create a trained national pool of master trainers and inspectors who will use technology-enabled tools to improve inspection quality, transparency and decision-making in medical and dental education.

Training goals and leadership support

The three-day pilot was inaugurated by Prof. Dr. Rizwan Taj, President PMDC, who described the initiative as a major step toward digital transformation in national accreditation processes. He praised the Federal Minister for Health, NHSR&C, Syed Mustafa Kamal, for his facilitative role in enabling regulatory reforms that allow PM&DC to operate with greater clarity and autonomy.

The pilot focused on hands-on learning: demonstrations of Digi-Inspect, practical use of digital proformas, field-based mock inspections, and the review and finalization of the Inspector Guide and Proforma 350. The training prepares master trainers who will lead subsequent regional rollouts and capacity-building activities.

What Digi-Inspect and Proforma 350 mean for colleges

Digi-Inspect is a tablet-based inspection platform designed to digitize data collection, scoring, and reporting during institutional inspections. Proforma 350, the updated inspection checklist, was pilot-tested during field mock inspections at ten medical and dental colleges. Together, these tools aim to:

• Standardize inspection criteria and scoring across regions.
• Reduce manual errors and improve real-time reporting.
• Enhance transparency through digital records and standardized proformas.
• Speed up decision-making with consolidated digital analyses.

National representation and multidisciplinary teams

Sixty participants represented Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), ICT, and the Armed Forces, ensuring national-level inclusivity. Participants were organized into ten multidisciplinary teams combining expertise in basic sciences, clinical sciences, medical education, biomedical engineering, hospital management, and civil engineering/architecture. Each team conducted mock digital inspections to validate logistics, operational workflows, and on-ground compliance.

Field testing and outcomes

On day two, teams executed field-based mock inspections using tablets and the Digi-Inspect software. These exercises tested the digital Proforma 350 under real institutional conditions, allowing teams to identify technical issues, assess transport and coordination needs, and gather actionable feedback for tool refinement.

Day three focused on consolidating findings, aligning scoring standards, evaluating participant learning, and collecting comprehensive feedback. The aggregated results and recommendations from the three-day exercise will guide the nationwide rollout strategy and final system tweaks.

Capacity building and regional rollout

Certified master trainers from the pilot will now conduct further training sessions across Karachi, Lahore, KPK, Balochistan, ICT/Rawalpindi and with Armed Forces stakeholders. PMDC plans phased regional rollouts, supplemented by facilitator-led workshops, peer mentoring, and continuous technical support to ensure consistent implementation.

Why this matters: benefits for quality and accountability

By digitizing inspections, PMDC expects to strengthen quality assurance, institutional accountability and compliance monitoring. Digital inspections enable quicker, auditable reports and reduce subjectivity in evaluations—improvements that can raise standards of medical and dental education and align institutions with international accreditation practices.

Prof. Dr. Rizwan Taj summed up the program’s purpose: to leverage technology and skilled human resources so that accreditation becomes more transparent, efficient and aligned with global benchmarks.