Physician education: 11 universities with a negative opinion from the Polish Accreditation Commission. So what?

What is particularly affecting the medical community now are newly established medical faculties at universities that are not prepared to run them, as evidenced by the fact that as many as 11 universities have received a negative opinion from the Polish Accreditation Commission in the context of running a medical faculty," notes Damian Patecki, chairman of the Supreme Medical Council's Commission on Medical Education. 

The quality of education is an issue that the doctors' and dentists' self-government has always been striving for. Hence, the list of tasks for urgent implementation for Health Minister Katarzyna Sójka could not miss the demand to withdraw support for the opening of new medical faculties without a positive opinion from the Polish Accreditation Commission and adequate teaching facilities, as well as withdrawal from the decision to increase enrollment at so-called new medical universities. 

Like most of the points on the aforementioned list, the one on the quality of education - an elementary step in the organization of the system - also failed to receive a response from the Health Ministry. 

From the very beginning of the establishment of medical faculties at universities with insufficient teaching facilities, the Supreme Medical Chamber has protested against the unreflective strategy of quantitative "production" of physicians. It is not uncommon for these to be universities with extremely modest experience of education in the medical and health sciences, or those that, until recently, concentrated on running faculties that were not related to them at all. The authorities of the self-government have addressed letters to state and European authorities on this issue. Doctors affiliated with international organizations such as the European Association of Young Doctors have officially supported NIL's actions out of concern for the quality of medical education in Poland. 

The establishment of an increasing number of medical faculties in Poland was supposed to be a way for the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education and Science to fill personnel shortages in health care. However, as representatives of the local government have long pointed out, the quality offered at the newly established medical faculties will not be a lifesaver in protecting the system, but a threat to patients' health. 

Reading the correspondence of the Polish Accreditation Commission with universities shows that the quality of education is not guaranteed at the moment. Unfortunately, we have negatively assessed the implementation of our demand, but this does not mean that we are laying down our arms, as we will fight all the time to improve this situation," adds Damian Patecki. 

The current legislation in this matter is imprecise, as it de facto makes the PKA's assessment non-binding. Even if a university is negatively evaluated by the PKA, the Minister of Education, who is responsible for establishing new medical faculties, is not obliged to respect it. 

Legislation should be changed in this direction, so that any university that gets a negative opinion from the PKA cannot educate. The medical association believes that any university that educates doctors should do so in a good and thoughtful way, and that young people who want to be doctors should be guaranteed quality education. 

Source: NIL