KARACHI: The Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PMDC) has conducted a two-day inspection of postgraduate medical and dental training programmes at six teaching institutions of Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS), including its two dental colleges, as part of an assessment of the university’s clinical training facilities, academic environment and capacity to train postgraduate specialists.
Facilitated by the DUHS School of Postgraduate Studies (SPGS), the inspections took place on October 28 and 29, 2026, covering Dow Dental College (DDC) and Dow International Dental College (DIDC), alongside the university’s medical colleges and teaching hospitals.
For postgraduate dental education, the inspections brought the training arrangements at both DDC and DIDC within the broader regulatory review. The assessment focused on the facilities and institutional support available to postgraduate trainees, with the aim of determining the appropriate annual training capacity in different specialties in accordance with PMDC requirements.
The inspection schedule covered three institutions on each day. On October 28, the PMDC team visited Dow Medical College (DMC), Dr Ruth K. M. Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi and Dow Dental College. On October 29, the inspection continued at Dow International Medical College (DIMC), Dow University Hospital Karachi and Dow International Dental College.
Dental colleges included in postgraduate training review
The inclusion of Dow Dental College and Dow International Dental College placed postgraduate dental training among the key areas covered during the two-day exercise.
The assessment was intended to examine the clinical and academic environment in which postgraduate trainees receive their education, including institutional infrastructure, faculty support and facilities required for structured specialty training.
Such inspections form part of the regulatory process through which training institutions are assessed against the requirements for postgraduate education. The determination of annual training capacity is particularly important because it helps establish how many trainees an institution can appropriately accommodate in a given specialty, taking into account the facilities and academic and clinical support available.
The university's announcement did not specify the individual dental specialties inspected, the number of postgraduate training places assessed or the findings and decisions reached by the PM&DC team. It also did not announce any new recognition or approval resulting from the inspections.
DUHS leadership, academic teams participate
The inspections were attended by DUHS Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Nazli Hossain, whose presence was acknowledged by the School of Postgraduate Studies. The university's official leadership information identifies Prof. Dr. Sajida Qureshi as Pro-Vice Chancellor.
Prof. Iftikhar Haider Naqvi, Professor of Medicine and Principal of the School of Postgraduate Studies, was also part of the institutional framework responsible for coordinating postgraduate education at DUHS.
The inspection process additionally involved the Pro-Vice Chancellor, the principals of the respective medical and dental colleges, and concerned faculty members, alongside the SPGS team.
The collective participation of academic leadership, college administrations and faculty members reflected the university's stated commitment to maintaining postgraduate education standards and meeting regulatory requirements across its teaching institutions.
SPGS coordinates inspection arrangements
The School of Postgraduate Studies coordinated with the concerned institutions and facilitated the inspections in collaboration with relevant academic and administrative departments.
Its role in the exercise included bringing the participating institutions and university teams together to support the inspection process and enable the PMDC assessment of training facilities, infrastructure and academic and clinical arrangements.
DUHS has described the inspections as part of its continuing efforts to strengthen its postgraduate medical and dental training framework. The university said the exercise was intended to support structured training opportunities, uphold academic and clinical standards, and contribute to the development of competent healthcare professionals.
Importance for postgraduate dental education
For dental institutions, the assessment of postgraduate training capacity has implications beyond the availability of academic programmes. Appropriate clinical facilities, faculty support, infrastructure and opportunities for supervised specialty training are important elements of a structured postgraduate learning environment.
The review of DDC and DIDC therefore represents an important regulatory assessment of the institutional arrangements supporting postgraduate dental education at DUHS.
The inspections on October 28 and 29 brought the university's medical and dental teaching institutions under a coordinated review, with the findings and any subsequent regulatory decisions expected to clarify the postgraduate training capacity that can be supported across the respective specialties.
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