How to select a Skin specialist/Dermatologist while living in Islamabad

This is a common question being asked that how should I select a skin specialist/dermatologist in Islamabad. The reason behind asking this question on multiple forum is that many non-dermatologists have started claiming to be a dermatologist/skin specialist in Islamabad without proper qualifications. As a result, I see a lot of complications because of wrong opinions by unqualified skin specialists. This is partly because of no regulation by PMDC/PMC.

It’s part of my job to clarify a few things to make it easy for you to select the best in the field. So let’s clarify the jargon of the degrees and then move forward.

All of the training starts after finishing 5 years of training in a medical college in Pakistan.

United Kingdom route

• MRCP Medicine, Three to four years of training in the medical and allied fields.
• MRCP Dermatology, four/five years of training in dermatology/skin in the United Kingdom with rotation in different subspecialty training.
• CCT in Dermatology, Certificate of completion of training.
• https://www.bad.org.uk/healthcare-professionals/education

United States route

Again this is a longer route and would take around 8-10 years to become a consultant. However, the following link would give an idea about how a dermatology route take a shape when a doctor leaves his/her medical school.

Pakistan route

FCPS…… Initial 2 years of training in medicine/allied field and subsequent 3 years of training in the skin department.

So next time you need to consult any skin specialist/dermatologist in Islamabad,  please consult the right person. Remember there are no short cuts in medical and dermatology training. Make sure you do ask the person about his/her training. If he/she is not a holder of the above degrees then they are not called dermatologists!!

Dr. Ghazanfar Ali is a fully trained UK qualified dermatologist who offers treatments in Pakistan and the UK every month. He offers honest, up to date, and research based advice.