The research evaluated a total of 30,750 doctors, of which 9,087 were graduates from public universities, 17,607 from private universities and 4,056 from foreign universities. 43% of the total number of physicians enrolled in Serums disapproved of the ENAM.
The majority percentage of disapproved came from private universities and abroad: 34% and 79% respectively. Public universities added 31% of disapproved.
“Just as university professors are required to have various academic degrees, such as a master’s or doctorate to be able to teach classes, the same must happen with graduates of medical schools, quality must be demanded,” said Urquizo.
Lawsuit before Indecopi
The dean of the Medical College recalled that before it was not mandatory to pass the ENAM to join the college and then apply to the SERUMS. However, since January 2020, following an agreement with the Peruvian Association of Faculties of Medicine (ASPEFAM), responsible for said evaluation, it became a requirement to continue in the tuition process.
However, a group of doctors filed a lawsuit with Indecopi requesting the non-application of said pact, which was accepted.
“In September of last year, Indecopi issued an opinion requesting that ENAM’s qualifications not be taken into account, under the concept of bureaucratic obstacles. Dr. Miguel Palacios, former dean of the Medical College, appealed to the Judiciary. Now we have hired a law firm to reverse this provision of Indecopi”, Urquizo advanced in an interview with the Andean agency.
Why is this test so important?
Those who get the best grades in the ENAM have a greater advantage in choosing where to do their SERUMS, which is a community service program carried out by qualified and collegiate health sciences professionals, primarily in the poorest and most remote populations of Peru.
The process is as follows: they pass the exam, they are registered and they can only do their SERUMS. Only then will they have the medical record; otherwise, they might not even issue a prescription. The SERUMS lasts for one year.
Raúl Urquizo warned that, if the current scheme continues, graduates with poorer theoretical knowledge of medicine will be allowed to end up caring for the most vulnerable population.
“Four years ago, the ENAM registered notes of 04 and 05 and where do these young people go to work? Generally to the poorest areas. A professional who does not have the minimum skills or is less qualified ends up serving the health of the population with fewer resources, more distant from the country.”
The expert commented that currently graduates from 36 universities -17 public and 19 private- undergo the ENAM evaluation. “The universities that have few students are the ones with the best grades. The university that has the best grades is national and public, we are talking regarding Saint Mark, which leads the exam for the last three years, then there is Cayetano Heredia and UPC”.
law firm
The Dean of the Medical Association said that demanding higher quality from graduates of medical schools is not a whim but a requirement as it happens in any first world country where it is required to pass a knowledge test to be able to practice the profession.
“It is as if I were going to work in the United States, I had to take an exam, because each country has its own standards to ensure professional quality, an exam of this type ensures that everyone is qualified to practice a medical career. In Peru each year between 3,500 and 3,800 doctors are registered.
The expert made it clear that they will insist on the obligation to pass the ENAM as a requirement to join the association and thus protect the health of the population, in addition to having more competent professionals.
“Last week we gave the file and we have commissioned a law firm to monitor the issue.”
While this issue is resolved, he recommended that Sunedu continue verifying the quality indicators of the medical schools and continue with the licensing process.
He added that along with this process, the central government must make greater efforts to invest in public universities in the regions where medicine is taught because larger laboratories are urgently needed and the curriculum must be updated.
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