(Yicai Global) June 23 -- China has been granted an ‘unconditional pass’ from the global medical education standards body to have medical degrees issued by the country’s institutions of higher learning recognized globally, the Ministry of Education said today.

The MOE’s working committee for the accreditation of medical education has gained approval from the World Federation for Medical Education, a non-governmental organization dedicated to guaranteeing the quality of medical training around the world, it said.

This is a further acknowledgement that China’s higher education standards and accreditation systems meet international benchmarks following the introduction of the country’s engineering qualifications into the Washington Accord in June 2016, said Wu Yan, head of the MOE’s department of higher education. It also signals that China has begun to take part in setting global standards and rules for teaching doctors, nurses and other healthcare staff.

Medical education certification bodies around the world must be accredited by the WFME, which was founded by the World Health Organization and World Medical Association in 1972, in order for their graduates to be accepted by healthcare sectors worldwide.

The MOE has already completed the review process of 106 schools of medicine, around three quarters of the country’s total, Wu said. The next step is to review the remainder, and to expand the coverage to include other specializations such as Traditional Chinese Medicine, stomatology and nursing. The aim is also to achieve a fully recognized licensing of TCM that can help to promote its global growth.

Editor: Kim Taylor