Variations in regulations to control standards for training and licensing of physicians: a multi-country comparison

Table 2 Comparison of regulations for medical education, clinical training, licensing and re-licensing across the four stages of the analytical framework and across the case-study countries

Stage	Regulations	Can	China	India	Iran	Pak	UK	USA
N/A	Are private (for-profit) medical colleges allowed?	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
1	Is there a uniform examination that all students undertake for admission to medical college?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
2	Is there a uniform examination for acquiring a medical degree?	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	Yes
2	Is medical training offered at the undergraduate level/ without first degree?	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
2,3	Total years of medical education and clinical training (after school) to be eligible for medical licence	9–10	8	5.5	7	6	7	11
3	Is there a national licensing exam?	Yes	Yes	No^a	No	No^a	No	Yes
4	Is license renewal by an independent body required across the country	Yes	No^b	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
4	After how many years is licensing renewal required, if at all?	1	N/A	5^c	5	2	5	1–4
4	Does permission to continue medical practise require CME or demonstration of clinical competencies?	Yes	Yes^b	Yes^c	Yes	No	Yes	Yes, except in 1 state

^aIntroduced in 2021 (Pakistan) and 2022 (India)
^bPhysicians have to pass a competency test every two years to continue to practise even though licence renewal is not required
^cOnly applies to nine states that have mandatory relicensing

ISSN: 1478-4491