Saudi Arabia to consider MS, MD degrees equivalent to FCPS

ISLAMABAD: Saudia Arabia and other Arab states have officially announced that it recognises the Masters of Surgery (MS) and Doctor of Medicine (MD) degrees as equivalent to the Fellow of College of Physician and Surgeons (FCPS) and Membership of College of Physicians and Surgeons (MCPS).

This is a positive development from the 2017 decision made by Saudi Arabia that doctors with MS and MD degrees shall no longer be considered top tier medics, and that these qualifications shall be considered as ‘research degrees’.

As a consequence of this decision, thousands of Pakistani doctors, employed at Arab hospitals and medical institutions were no longer allowed to so. Around 4500 of these doctors were asked to hand in their resignation or face deportation.

The Association of University Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (AUPSP) has lauded the efforts of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and Pakistani embassy in Saudi Arabia for their joint efforts in addressing the issue.

AUPSP General Secretary Dr Asad Noor Mirza said that recently,

HEC executive director, Dr Shaista Sohail had written a letter to the secretary general of the Saudi Commission for Health Specialities informing him that in Pakistan had recognized the degrees MD/MDS/MS/MPhil as equal to FCPS.

The letter stated:

 “The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council monitors and regulates policy for medical practice, ethics and licentiates and classifies both these clinical streams under Level-3 qualifications permitted to practice as specialists and consultants in their respective field of medicine and surgery.”

“Both these streams of qualifications i.e. MS/MD/MDS and FCPS, MCPS, etc. are at par with each other … and both are treated alike under the HEC Faculty Appointment Criteria.”

They letter requested that these degrees be added to the list of clinical degrees in Saudi Arabia’s Professional Qualification Requirements under the same categories as for FCPS.

He informed that recently, a delegation visited Riyadh to have a meeting with the Saudi Commission for Health Specialities Secretary general. The delegation received assurance that MS and MD degrees shall receive an equal status to the FCPS and MCPS degrees