PMDC CPD Provider Accreditation Standards 2026: What Doctors Should Know

The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council has notified a new set of standards for the organisations that provide continuing professional development (CPD) activities and award credit points. The council approved the "Standards for Accreditation of Continuing Medical Education / Continuing Professional Development Opportunity Providers 2026 and Inspection Proforma" on 5 October 2026; the notification is dated 8 October and was posted on the council's website on 9 October. It is issued under section 47(2)(k) of the PM&DC Act 2022, takes effect immediately, and applies to every provider seeking accreditation of CPD activities.

Who may be a provider

Standard S1 requires an applicant to be a legally registered body such as a professional association, a medical or dental college, a hospital, a specialty society or a not-for-profit organisation, or the CPD unit of one. It must not itself be an "ineligible commercial company", with pharmaceutical and device manufacturers given as the examples. The standards do not list every ineligible company; the test is whether the organisation's business is selling health products.

The independence test

Standard S5 is the heart of the document, and several of its items are marked as "core". A provider that cannot show independence from commercial influence should not be recognised "regardless of how well it performs elsewhere", and a core item scored zero means automatic non-recognition. The core requirements are that every planner discloses financial relationships with drug, device or biotechnology companies for the preceding 24 months before planning starts; that relevant relationships are mitigated and the mitigation documented before delivery; that no owner or employee of an ineligible company controls planning, faculty, content or evaluation; and that the activity, its materials and its venue are free of marketing. Learners must be told which speakers have relevant relationships, and a written policy must govern sponsorship, travel, hospitality and honoraria.

How providers will be scored

• 47 criteria across ten standards (S1 to S10), each scored 0 (not met), 1 (partially met) or 2 (fully met), for a maximum of 94 points.
• Full recognition for scores above 90 per cent, for three years subject to an annual report; provisional recognition at 75–89 per cent for one year; conditional recognition at 60–74 per cent for one year with a corrective plan due within six months; below 60 per cent, not recognised, with re-application after at least six months.
• Monitoring includes unannounced spot checks, and providers must agree in writing to cooperate with them. The document recommends a 30-day window to seek reconsideration of a decision through the council's grievance procedure.

Credit points

Credits are calculated under the council's existing formula: generally one CPD credit point per contact hour, subject to a daily cap of six points and a per-event cap of 18. Only non-commercial activities are certified for credit; promotional sessions earn none. The standards sit alongside, rather than replace, the Pakistan National CPD Program: Policy and Guidelines (2024), which sets how many points a registrant needs and how they are recorded.

Why this matters to doctors, not just organisers

1. Licence renewal depends on credits that count. Points from a provider that loses recognition may not be accepted. Before paying for a conference or course, check that the organiser is accredited.
2. Sponsored dinners are not CPD. The standards draw a clear line between education and promotion. Expect fewer logo-covered events and more declarations of interest at the start of sessions.
3. Trainees and teachers will see the proforma. Colleges and hospitals that run CPD units will need documented planning, disclosure and evaluation. If you sit on a CPD committee, the 47 criteria are your new checklist.

What is still unclear

The notification and the standards do not publish an accreditation fee schedule (S8 only requires that fees not be an unreasonable barrier and that the CPD function is run on a not-for-profit basis), and they do not say how existing accredited providers will be transitioned. Those details are likely to come from the council's CPD Unit. Until then, the safest assumption for organisers is that the standards apply to every new application now.

Sources and references

• PM&DC notification of 8 October 2026: standards for accreditation of CPD opportunity providers
• PM&DC: Standards for Accreditation of CPD Opportunity Providers and Inspection Proforma (full document)
• PM&DC standards and publications page
• Pakera, October 2026: PMDC CPD provider standards 2026 (summary report)