PMDC Bars Drug Companies From Doctors' CPD Courses Under New 2026 Standards
PMDC's CPD provider standards took effect on 8 October 2026. Drug firms cannot run accredited courses, and credits are capped at 6 a day. See what changes.
PMDC has notified new standards that keep drug and medical device companies out of doctors' continuing education. Under a notification dated 8 October 2026, any body that wants PMDC credit points for its courses must prove it is independent of commercial influence. A single failure on that test means automatic refusal, whatever else it scores.
The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PM&DC) posted the notification on its website on 9 October 2026. The Council approved the standards on 5 October, and they took effect at once. They apply to every provider seeking PMDC accreditation for Continuing Professional Development (CPD), the courses and workshops doctors and dentists attend after qualifying.
PMDC notified the CPD standards on 8 October 2026
The notification, issued under section 47(2)(k) of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council Act, 2022, brings in "Standards for Accreditation of Continuing Medical Education Continuing Professional Development (CPD) opportunity providers 2026" with an inspection proforma. It applies immediately to all providers seeking accreditation.
Providers apply under section 27 of the 2022 Act. The notification went to provincial health secretaries, all recognised medical and dental colleges, and the federal health ministry.
The standards do not replace PMDC's existing CPD rules. The document says it works inside the Pakistan National CPD Program: Policy and Guidelines, which PMDC approved in 2024. That policy sets the credit rules. The new document sets who may award those credits.
Drug and device companies cannot be CPD providers
A provider must be a legally registered institution, professional association, medical or dental college, hospital, specialty society or not-for-profit body. The standards say a pharmaceutical or device manufacturer is an "ineligible" company and cannot be a provider itself.
That is the headline change for most doctors. Sponsored dinners with a lecture attached are a familiar part of medical life in Pakistan. Under these standards, a session like that cannot earn PMDC credit.
The first four rules below are what PMDC calls "core" items. The fifth sits in its faculty and content standard:
- Every planner, speaker, author and reviewer must disclose in writing any money links with drug, device or biotech companies over the past 24 months.
- Any such link must be managed before the event, for example by an independent content review, and the step recorded.
- No owner or employee of such a company may control planning, speakers, content or evaluation.
- The event, its materials and its venue must be free of marketing and product sales.
- Slides and handouts must carry no company logo, trade name or product message.
Learners must also be told, before the session, which speakers have money links and what they are. If none were disclosed, the provider must say so.
How CPD credit points are counted
PMDC's formula gives generally 1 CPD credit point per contact hour. A doctor can earn at most 6 points in a day and 18 points from a single event. Only non-commercial activities can be certified.
| Credit rule | What the standards say |
|---|---|
| Basic rate | Generally 1 point per contact hour |
| Daily cap | 6 points |
| Per event cap | 18 points |
| Commercial or promotional sessions | No credit |
| Partial attendance | Credit in proportion only |
Attendance has to be verified, in person or online, before credit is given. Each certificate must state the activity title, date, format and the number of PMDC CPD points. Providers must keep a register of participants for the current accreditation term plus one earlier term.
Keep your certificates. If a certificate does not show the PMDC points, ask the organiser for a corrected one at the time, not years later.
How PMDC scores and decides an application
An assessment team of at least two assessors scores each provider on 47 criteria, at 0, 1 or 2 points each. The maximum is 94. Above 90 per cent earns full recognition for 3 years, the longest term PMDC allows.
| Score | Outcome | Term |
|---|---|---|
| Above 90% (more than 85 of 94) | Full recognition | 3 years, with an annual report |
| 75% to 89% (71 to 84) | Provisional recognition | 1 year, then re-assessment |
| 60% to 74% (56 to 70) | Conditional recognition | 1 year, corrective plan within 6 months |
| Below 60% (under 56) | Not recognised | Re-apply after at least 6 months |
| Any core independence item scored 0 | Automatic refusal | Regardless of total score |
The process has set stages:
- The provider sends its documents to PMDC.
- PMDC's CPD Unit checks the file and gives a first score.
- At least two assessors hold a virtual visit and interview the CPD coordinator, speakers and participants.
- The assessors total the score and flag any core failure.
- A PMDC committee decides, and the Executive Committee confirms.
- Recognised providers are notified and added to the official list.
After that, PMDC may run unannounced spot checks. A provider that disagrees can ask for reconsideration. The standards recommend doing so within 30 days of the decision.
What changes for doctors, dentists and hospitals
For a practising doctor or dentist, the practical change is in which events count. A course run by a recognised college, hospital or society, without sponsor branding, can carry PMDC points. A product launch with a lecture cannot.
For hospitals and specialty societies, the work is heavier. Each needs a named CPD committee or medical education unit, a CPD coordinator, written disclosure forms, a sponsorship policy, a complaints system and annual reports to PMDC. The CPD function must run on a not-for-profit basis, and fees must not be "an unreasonable barrier".
The standards also push access. Providers should offer online or blended options for doctors in remote areas and show outreach to female doctors and doctors from underserved regions.
Doctors who want to confirm their own standing can check PMDC registration on the Council's site. Students choosing a college should still check the college is PMDC recognised, which is a separate list. Graduates abroad facing the NRE Step-I exam on 8 November are not affected by this notification.
Common questions
What did PMDC notify on 8 October 2026?
Standards for accrediting CPD providers, with an inspection proforma. They took effect immediately for all providers seeking PMDC accreditation.
Can a pharmaceutical company give PMDC CPD credits?
No. The standards call drug and device makers ineligible companies. They cannot be providers or control content, speakers or evaluation.
How many CPD points can a doctor earn in one day?
At most 6, at generally 1 point per contact hour. One event can give no more than 18 points.
How long does PMDC CPD accreditation last?
Up to 3 years for full recognition with a score above 90 per cent. Provisional and conditional recognition last 1 year.
What happens if a provider fails one independence rule?
It is refused automatically, whatever its total score. Those core items cover money links, company control and marketing.
Who can apply to PMDC as a CPD provider?
Registered institutions, professional associations, medical and dental colleges, hospitals, specialty societies and not-for-profit bodies.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked 9 October 2026. We read PMDC's public announcements page, where the notification was posted on 9 October 2026, and the notification itself, dated 8 October 2026. All rules, scores and stages come from the full standards document on PMDC's accreditation standards page. We have not checked how many CPD points a doctor must collect each year; that is set in PMDC's 2024 CPD policy.
About the author
Public Services and Education Journalist
Fajr Riaz is a journalist and content writer at Pakistan Era, based in Lahore. She covers the questions people meet in everyday life in Pakistan: how a public service works, what a change in the rules means, and where to find a reliable answer.
