Doctors undergoing recognised postgraduate medical and dental training in Pakistan are to be called Specialty Registrars, replacing the designation Postgraduate Trainees, according to reports describing a Pakistan Medical and Dental Council directive.
Hospitals and medical institutions have been instructed to use the new title in their official records and communication.
The change concerns how doctors receiving specialist training are identified. PMDC’s stated reason, as reported by Eduvision, is that the previous wording could understate their professional standing despite their medical qualifications and clinical role.
Why PMDC is changing the designation
A doctor pursuing postgraduate specialisation has already completed a basic medical or dental qualification and is continuing training in a particular field. The term “Specialty Registrar” is intended to communicate that position more clearly to patients while acknowledging that the doctor remains in supervised training.
Vitals News reported that PMDC considered the word “trainee” poorly perceived by patients. The council’s reasoning is that a designation already used in other healthcare systems may help patients better understand the professional status of doctors undergoing advanced training.
Where the new title will be used
The reported instructions cover future notifications, records and correspondence relating to doctors in recognised postgraduate programmes. Health departments, universities, institutions awarding degrees and postgraduate training institutions are among the bodies directed to adopt the terminology.
Eduvision also reported that government hospitals and medical institutions across Pakistan have been told to replace the previous designation in official communication. For doctors, the practical change is the title used to describe their training position in institutional documents.
A Specialty Registrar is still a doctor completing specialist training under supervision. The title does not describe a consultant who has finished that process. Patients can separately check a doctor’s licence validity and registered qualifications through the practitioner search on PMDC’s official website.
