CAIRO: Head of the Doctors' Syndicate Hamdy El-Sayyed agreed to hold a conference with Doctors Without Rights next month to discuss a draft law establishing an Egyptian Council for Medical Professional Credentials and new assessment exam, he told Daily News Egypt. The new council, assigned to give professional practice licenses and identify benchmarks for training and evaluation of doctors, has sparked debate among doctors who criticized its "ambiguity." Earlier this week, Doctors Without Rights' plans to meet with El-Sayyed for the third time fell through. They were scheduled to call for holding a conference that would bring together officials from the Ministry of Health and the deans of faculties of medicine to explain the goals and mechanisms of the new council. "We feel that this council constitutes a critical turning point in the future of medical education in Egypt," Mona Mina, spokesperson of Doctors Without Rights, told Daily News Egypt. "El-Sayyed accused us of not understanding the concept behind the new council and we really don't; we need answers about many of the gaps we found in the draft law outlining its establishment," she added. The draft law stipulates that medical school graduates sit for an exam to ensure they attain high standards of medical training. It also sets the standards for various levels of training in different medical specializations and accredited medical institutions qualified to host training programs. "Poor financial and human capabilities of Egyptian medical schools has led to a decline in the competency of Egyptian doctors and an increase in unqualified practitioners, which required fast intervention to reform the medical system by separating between academic and practical paths," read the explanatory note of the draft law. According to El-Sayyed, medical school graduates who wish to become practitioners will have to spend between five to six years of training in an accredited hospital under the supervision of qualified trainers. During this period, they will undergo three tests before, during and after the training. "Academic studies at the faculty teach students the basics and ethics of the profession, but they don't qualify them to become practitioners; thus, they need to go through a practical training period before actual practice," El-Sayyed said. "The new system will allow Egyptian doctors to have a degree equivalent to that given by the American Board of Medical Specialties, Arab Medicine Fellowship and many European countries," he added. Mina expressed concerns over who would carry the cost of this training period and the issuance fees of the new license. "We know that this council will replace the Egyptian fellowship with another one. Will doctors pay for this fellowship or [their employers]? And what will happen to those who don't pass the national exam?" she asked. "We feel that the aim is to privatize medicine rather than enhance the profession," Mina added. According to El-Sayyed, plans to conduct a national exam are suspended for now. "The aim is to assess graduates within the syndicate through a unified test different than that of each faculty, but now our focus is on post-graduate training," El-Sayyed said. "There is a disagreement with the ministry on who would carry the costs; they want the student to pay for the training period but we insist that the government carry this financial burden," he added. The law is set to be discussed in Parliament after the elections.
