Commercialism in Medical Education in Low- and Middle-Income Countries through a Neo-colonial Lens: A Qualitative Evidence Meta-synthesis (2015-2025)

Description

Abeera Fawad Khan, Ayesha Junaid, and Junaid Sarfraz Khan synthesize research on commercialism in medical education in poorer countries in a 2026 review. Over the past decade, profit driven growth in medical schools has intertwined with colonial era power structures. The review reads that tangle through a neo colonial lens. It gathered qualitative studies from a decade of literature and rated confidence in its findings with a standard tool.

Only four studies passed the strict criteria, so the authors warn the findings illustrate theory rather than generalize. Four themes still emerged: credentials tied to migration markets, cross border student recruitment driven by profit, commercial sponsorship of continuing education, and accreditation acting as a market signal. The authors argue these mechanisms deepen global inequity and urge stronger regional accreditation and sponsor regulation.

Catalog record

Source: https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13263616