The PMDC Promotion Reality: Why Publications Matter More Than You Think

The Letter That Broke a Fifteen-Year Silence

Dr. Junaid Rashid had never been nervous walking into the administration block. Not once in fifteen years. He had faced hospital emergencies, cardiac arrests, angry attendants, and departmental audits without flinching. He was, by every measure that mattered to him, one of the best internists at UPMED Hospitals.

But today was different. Today, he was carrying an envelope.

His application for the Associate Professor position was submitted three months ago. He had waited patiently for fifteen years of clinical service, hundreds of supervised house officers, and a ward that ran like clockwork under his command. The promotion was overdue. Everyone said so. His colleagues said so. Even the medical superintendent had hinted it was “just a formality.”

He opened the envelope in his office, alone, standing by the window that overlooked the hospital parking lot where he had parked his car every morning for fifteen years.

The letter was two paragraphs long. The first paragraph thanked him for his application and acknowledged his “distinguished clinical service.” The second paragraph, the one that changed everything, read:

“We regret to inform you that your application does not meet the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) criteria for the position of Associate Professor. The current requirement is a total of nine (9) eligible research publications in PMDC-approved or internationally indexed journals, with at least seven (7) completed during service as an Assistant Professor. Only fully published original articles are counted, with a maximum of one Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis permitted. As per your CV, only one (1) eligible publication is reflected, which does not meet the required criteria. We encourage you to reapply once the requirements have been fulfilled.”

Dr. Junaid read it twice. Then a third time. He sat down heavily in his chair and stared at the wall.

Two publications. In fifteen years, he had exactly two publications from his registrar days, which a senior colleague had added his name to, almost as an afterthought. He had never designed a study, never collected data systematically, never written a manuscript. He had been too busy saving lives.

And now, that single fact that he had saved lives but had not written about it was the reason he could not move forward.

That afternoon, Dr. Junaid walked to the department notice board. The 120-Day Research Training Program notice was still there. He stared at it for a long moment, took out his phone, and texted Dr. Muhammad Yaqoob a single line: “Sir, I want to join the research program. When does it start?”

Dr. Sumaira, who happened to be passing by, saw him standing there and almost dropped her files. Dr. Junaid Rashid, the man who had publicly called research “a waste of time,” was signing up.

She didn’t say anything. She didn’t need to. The expression on his face said everything.

The PMDC Promotion Requirements: What the Rules Actually Say

Let me lay out the reality that Dr. Junaid Rashid discovered too late, so that you do not make the same mistake. The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council has established clear, non-negotiable publication requirements for academic positions in medical and dental institutions across Pakistan. These are not suggestions. These are mandatory criteria, and no amount of clinical excellence can substitute for them.

Here is what the PMDC promotion requirements (2025) look like at each level (1):

1. Assistant Professor: For appointment or promotion to Assistant Professor, a minimum of two research publications in the relevant subject is required. These publications must be original research articles published in journals approved by PM&DC or indexed in recognized databases such as PubMed, Medline, PubMed Central, Embase, Scopus, or Web of Science. Only fully published articles are accepted; letters of acceptance are not valid. A maximum of six authors are given equal credit per publication, and if the number exceeds six, only the first six are counted unless justified by the corresponding author or principal investigator. All articles must have a plagiarism similarity index of ≤20%; higher similarity will result in rejection. In addition to original articles, only one systematic review with meta-analysis (SR with MA) is allowed for credit, provided it is published in an indexed journal. Narrative reviews, letters, dissertations, and book chapters are not considered for credit.
2. Associate Professor: For promotion to Associate Professor, a total of nine research publications in the relevant subject is required, of which seven must be completed during the tenure as Assistant Professor. All the remaining guidelines remain the same as for the Assistant Professor.
3. Full Professor: For promotion to Professor, a total of fifteen research publications in the relevant subject is required. Out of these, six publications must be completed during the tenure as Associate Professor. All the remaining guidelines remain the same as for the Assistant Professor.

Why These Numbers Are More Challenging Than They Appear

Here is what catches most Pakistani doctors off guard: you cannot produce five quality publications in a month, or even in a year. Research takes time.

A typical clinical study in Pakistan, from concept to published paper, takes 12 to 18 months. That includes designing the study, getting IRB or Ethical Review Committee approval, collecting data, analyzing it, writing the manuscript, submitting it, surviving peer review, making revisions, and finally seeing it published. Some studies take even longer.

So let us do the math. If you need five publications for an Associate Professor, and each takes twelve to eighteen months, you need to start planning your research output at least three to five years before you plan to apply. If you wait until you are already eligible by experience, you are already years behind.

Dr. Junaid waited fifteen years. He is now looking at a minimum of three more years before he can realistically reapply. Three years of promotions lost. Three years of salary increments missed. Three years of seniority that will never be recovered.

This is not a cautionary tale. This is the lived reality of hundreds of senior Pakistani doctors right now.

Dr. Junaid’s First Lesson

The next morning, Dr. Junaid walked into the research training room at UPMED Hospitals for the first time. The room was modest, with a whiteboard, a projector, and fifteen chairs arranged in a semicircle. Most of the chairs were occupied by PGRs half his age.

Dr. Sumaira was in the front row, notebook open. Dr. Hammad was there too, scrolling through his phone but looking up every few seconds with bright, curious eyes. Dr. Zunaira sat in the back corner, quiet as always, pen ready. Dr. Hassan had grabbed a seat near the door, classic escape positioning. And Dr. Bushra Fatima, Senior Registrar in Gynecology, sat with her arms crossed, looking like she had already published more than everyone in the room combined.

Dr. Junaid took the last empty chair. He felt every pair of eyes on him. An Assistant Professor sitting with PGR Year 1 trainees in a beginner’s research course. His ego stung. But the rejection letter stung more.

Dr. Yaqoob walked in, looked around the room, and smiled.

“Welcome to The Research Clinic,” he said. “Some of you are here because you are curious. Some because your supervisor told you to come. And some” his eyes found Dr. Junaid for just a moment “because life taught you a lesson that no one else dared to teach you.”

He paused.

“It does not matter why you are here. What matters is that you are here. And I promise you this: research is not rocket science. It is a skill. And skills can be taught.”

Dr. Junaid uncapped his pen. For the first time in fifteen years, he was a student again.

References:

1. https://online.pmdc.pk/Documents/law/Teaching%20Regulations-2025.pdf Accessed on 21st March 2026