PESHAWAR: The health department will upgrade standard of paramedics training, education and examination to improve patients` care, especially primary healthcare at rural level, according to officials.

`A law to regulate the institutes awarding diploma to paramedics in 16 technologies will strengthen the Medical Faculty established in 1977 under the Medical Degrees Act, 1916 by incorporating changes in it,` Dr Javaid Khan, the chief executive officer of Medical Faculty, told Dawn.

He said that Medical Faculty would issue degrees, diplomas, certificates, licences and other documents to qualified people in paramedical and allied sciences like lady health visitors.Dr Javaid said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Faculty of Paramedical and Allied Health Sciences Act, 2016 was aimed reconstituting and reorganising the paramedical institutes, education and examinations in view of their vital role in patients` healthcare especially at primary level.

To ensure quality education in line with the contemporary needs and modern scientific advancements, the provincial assembly passed the law last month, vesting powers in the Medical Faculty to design curricula and course of studies for education and conduction of examinations of the students at the affiliated institutions in public and private sectors, he said.

Dr Javaid said that four committees comprising professors from medical colleges would monitor the performance of the institutes of allied health sciences in random inspections to de-notify the outlets not operating in conformity with the laid down rules.

He said that the committees would also approve policies and procedures pertaining to the qual-ity of academic programmes and oversee the quality andrelevance.

Af ter passage of law, a nine-member governing body with health secretary as its head will take decisions with regard to raising standard of training, examination, research and improving administration and to regulate, promote and streamline the education, training, examination and registration of paramedics and allied health professionals in preventive, curative, rehabilitative, environmental and occupational health sectors.

Dr Javaid said that so far, the health department took care of Medical Faculty. The chief executive officer, registrar and controller of examination will be appointed after framing rules. They will be responsible to develop courses of studies in the affiliated institutions with mother and child health education and training to paramedical staff besides setting standards and scoring criteria of recognition of the medical training institutions.

Dr Javald said that the governing body would take care of the admin-istration and management through governing board, which would exercise all powers through staff of Medical Faculty.

Sources in health department said that the law was prepared in 2014 to stop operations of fake paramedical institutes, which issued degrees to people.

Although passed belatedly, the law will enable Medical Faculty to monitor and evaluate the clinical training programmes in the affiliated hospitals and institutes and allow only those registered with it to do private practice under the supervision of a doctor recognised by Pakistan Medical and Dental Council.

Sources said that 81 paramedical institutes were registered with Medical Faculty in the province.

Those institutes impart training to paramedics prior to their examinations at Medical Faculty.

`In rural areas, 80 per cent patients are seen by paramedics and the new legislation will help to strengthen standards of their training and examination to produce qualified people,` sources said.