The World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) has awarded recognition status to the Medical Council of Ireland (MCI). The Medical Council of Ireland is the sole authority for accrediting, regulating and ensuring the quality of education for the Irish Medical Schools. RCSI – Medical University of Bahrain is also accredited by the Medical Council of Ireland.
WFME Recognition Status has been awarded for ten years with immediate effect.
The Medical Council was established by the Medical Practitioners act 1978 (updated in 2007) and is made up of 25 members, including members of the public, doctors, representatives from teaching bodies and a range of other stakeholders. The members include those who are nominated by the Minister for Health or by other organisations and members who are elected by doctors. MCI is noteworthy among medical regulators in the world as it has a majority of non-medical members. All appointments to the Council are approved by the Minister for Health. In Ireland, only medical schools accredited by the Medical Council can legally award medical degrees.
WFME is satisfied that the accreditation process, post-accreditation monitoring and decision making by MCI when it accredits these medical schools and faculties is to an appropriate and rigorous standard.
The WFME Recognition Programme follows the same principles as a medical school accreditation system: evaluation of documentation, policies and procedures; a site visit; and a decision taken by an independent committee with reference to pre-defined criteria.
The WFME Recognition Programme aims to raise the standards of medical education worldwide, through ensuring that national and regional accrediting agencies are acting in an appropriate, robust and transparent way. The intention is for all eligible accrediting agencies to be evaluated by WFME or to an equivalent standard. There are about 120 organisations listed in the Directory of Organizations that Recognize/Accredit Medical Schools (DORA). 23 accrediting agencies have been recognised by WFME to date, and a further 11 have formally commenced the process. A further 13 organisations are in active communication with WFME regarding their application.
Press Release 3 June 2020
Medical Council of Ireland (MCI) – Ireland
Directory of Organizations that Recognize/Accredit Medical Schools (DORA)
