Spring Cleaning: On Medical Education in India

Spring Cleaning: On Medical Education in India 28 Jun 2023

 Context:

Recently, the National Medical Commission (NMC) announced the immediate withdrawal of the Graduate Medical Education Regulations (GMER) 2023. 

Why is there a need for a new GMER?

  • The medical world is a changed place with emerging diseases, changing demands and expectations of stakeholders also require the change. 
Issues with Present Medical Education in India:
  • Lack of seats: India has very few medical seats for which there is intense competition and many aspirants are unable to pursue their dream careers. 
  • Outdated Syllabus: The medical studies syllabus in India is not updated accordingly.
  • Poor Quality: Colleges are lacking proper infrastructure — land, laboratories, equipment, and trained faculty.
  • Insufficient Teacher-Student Ratio: The ratio is not up to the mark in many private colleges in India.
  • Lack of Research and Innovation: There is less funding for research and innovation which results in poor research.
  • Very Costly: It is difficult for major sections of Indians to afford private medical education.
  • Lack of Social Accountability: Indian medical students do not receive training which permeates them with social accountability.

Significances of Graduate Medical Education Regulations (GMER) 2023:

  • Multifaceted Approach: The new regulations aimed at making medical education more learner-centric, patient-centric, gender-sensitive, outcome-oriented and environment-appropriate, while continuing to anchor on the basic principles of teaching medicine. 
  • Ethically Sensitive: The regulations were progressive in introducing a longitudinal programme based on attitude, ethics, and communication competencies for young medical students.
  • Early Clinical Experience: All skills young medicos will benefit from in the real world.
  • Didactic Friendly: It had specified that didactic lectures would not exceed a third of the schedule.
  • Interactive Study: The bulk of the course would include interactive sessions, practicals, clinical experience, and case studies. 
  • Family Adoption: It also introduced a new family adoption programme through village outreach, for each MBBS student, and a ‘pandemic module’. 

Other Significant Changes: 

  • Less Time Duration: Reduction of the overall time period for students to complete the MBBS course to nine years (from 10).
  • Fixed Attempts: Fixed number of attempts to clear papers
  • Counseling: Common counseling for admission from 2024. 
  • Supplementary Examinations: If a student failed to clear any exam, he/she could have appeared in the supplementary examination, the results of which were to be processed within three-six weeks. The students, if successful, could have proceeded with the same batch.

Conclusion:

There is an urgent need to take a relook at all aspects of the system, and adapt them with the changing requirements, including demography, socio-economic contexts, and advancements in science and technology.

Additional Information:

About National Medical Commission (NMC):

  • The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare replaced the Medical Council of India (MCI) with the National Medical Commission (NMC) in 2020.
  • NMC acts as the country’s top regulator of medical education.

Aim of NMC: 

  • Improve access to quality and affordable medical education
  • Ensure availability of adequate and high quality medical professionals in all parts of the country
  • Promote equitable and universal healthcare that encourages community health perspective and makes services of medical professionals accessible to all the citizens
  • Encourages medical professionals to adopt latest medical research in their work and to contribute to research
  • Objectively assess medical institutions periodically in a transparent manner
  • Maintain a medical register for India
  • Enforce high ethical standards in all aspects of medical services
  • Have an effective grievance redressal mechanism.

Functions of NMC:

  • Regulation: Laying down policies for regulating medical institutions and medical professionals.
  • Assessment: Assessing the requirements of human resources and infrastructure in healthcare.
  • Compliance: Ensuring compliance by the State Medical Councils.
  • Fee Determination: Framing guidelines for the determination of fees.

News Source: The Hindu

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UDAAN PRELIMS WALLAH
Comprehensive coverage with a concise format
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Designed as per recent trends of Prelims questions
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