Will medical education in Azerbaijan be reduced to 5 years? - IMPORTANT STATEMENT

Is it possible to reduce the duration of medical education from 6 to 5 years?

Aztəhsil.az reports, based on the professor's statement, that certain steps have already been taken towards adapting Azerbaijani medical education to Western standards. According to him, the implementation of the bachelor's system and residency, as well as the adaptation of teaching to the Western education model, are among the works carried out in this direction.

The professor noted that reducing the duration of education from 6 to 5 years means creating an entirely new structure:
“For this, a foundation must first be prepared. First, the system of teaching theoretical and then clinical subjects should be condensed, class hours should be intensified, and a new structure should be formed. If such a necessity exists, the entire methodology of medical education within the university should be re-evaluated. But I think this is not such an urgent issue”.

A. Qeybulla emphasized that the main focus should be on steps that yield real results, not on formal changes.

“The main problem is the creation of adequate conditions for teaching. In particular, it is important to ensure patient flow in the teaching-therapy and teaching-surgery departments through the compulsory medical insurance system to enhance students' clinical knowledge and skills”.

The professor also touched upon international experience, citing the German model as an example. According to him, medical education in Germany lasts 6 years and 3 months. 
Of this period, 2 years are allocated to pre-clinical theoretical subjects, 3 years to clinical subjects, and 1 year to practical training. After this, the residency phase, lasting 5-6 years, begins.

“Thus, in Germany, a total of 12-13 years is required for the complete training of a doctor, including residency. In Azerbaijan, too, the main priority should be to increase the quality of medical education, strengthen students' practical skills, and reinforce the material and technical base. The reduction of the education period, however, can only be discussed within the framework of comprehensive and justified reforms”.
– the professor added.