Iraq has 25 medical colleges that produce approximately 3000 graduates annually. Notwithstanding the significant number of colleges, medical education in Iraq faces significant challenges. The major ones include the lack of vision for improving medical education, uncontrolled entry standards that are not linked to the national requirements, and the lack of an effective regulatory system to improve and sustain quality of education and practice. Many medical colleges provide education in the traditional mode with outdated curricula that emphasize didactic rather than applied and practice-based approaches. Faculty capacities and infrastructure are inadequate. Student selection, assessment and quality of medical research are other areas that need further improvement.
For several years accreditation has been considered as the principal approach to address the challenges to medical education in the country. A National Council for Accreditation of Medical Colleges (NCAMC) has been established under the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research to oversee the accreditation, and develop and implement accreditation standards across medical colleges. The progress thus far has not been as was earlier expected.
A national workshop was organized to take stock of the situation and explore ways to strengthen the accreditation of medical education in Iraq. The workshop was held in Amman, Jordan from 31 March to 1 April. The specific objectives of the workshop were to:
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Present and review the situation and challenges to medical education and accreditation in Iraq;
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Review the standards of accrediting medical education in Iraq;
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Propose an institutional arrangement for the accreditation of medical education; and
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Develop a roadmap for implementing the agreed actions over the next 12 months, with specific actions and timelines.