Editorial

Postgraduate medical education in South Asia

BMJ 2004; 328 doi: 10.1136/bmj.328.7443.779 (Published 1 April 2004)
Cite this as: BMJ 2004;328:779

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  1. Lalitha Mendis, director (lalithamendis@yahoo.com),
  2. B V Adkoli, educationalist,
  3. R K Adhikari, dean,
  4. M Muzaherul Huq, director,
  5. Asma Fozia Qureshi, dean, public health
  1. Post Graduate Institute of Medicine, University of Colombo, 160, Norris Canal Road, Colombo 7, Sri Lanka
  2. KL Wig Centre for Medical Education & Technology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi 110029, India
  3. Institute of Medicine, PO Box No 1524, Maharajgunj, Kathmandu, Nepal
  4. Institute of Public Health, Mohakhali, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
  5. College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan, 7th Central Street, Defence Housing Authority Phase II, Karachi 75500, Pakistan

    Time to move on from the postcolonial era

    Undergraduate and postgraduate education increased rapidly in the post-independence era in South Asia—except for Bhutan and the Maldives, which do not have medical schools. Now in India alone, 136 medical schools admit more than 6000 trainees into postgraduate programmes.1

    Satisfaction over the numbers who have completed postgraduate education conceals the challenges facing the region. Specialist training is in the traditional apprenticeship style rather than an appraisal based approach. Selection of assessment tools is not governed by modern educational theory. Some postgraduate examinations rely on outmoded assessments, such as essays and long cases. Training in research, ethical issues, concepts of team work, and management is variable. Standards …

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