New courses will revitalize medical education

The medical education sector is beset with several problems. The country is facing a shortage of doctors and specialists. We do not produce enough doctors and we do not have enough medical colleges.

In addition, there are few colleges in states like Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan, while there is a cluster in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. Doctors do not go to rural areas as there are no facilities for them to live, no appropriate schools for their children. In addition, they are unfit to work in rural areas as there is no skill orientation.

They are used to working in teams and are not trained in addressing common problems like snake bite, diarrhea, and using catheters.

Steps are being taken to address these issues. New curriculum being developed by MCI will train doctors in addressing common problems. We are increasing seats for undergraduates in existing medical colleges. More colleges are being opened in existing hospitals of the Railways, ESI, Army, and there is a move to open medical schools in district hospitals with at least 350 beds. The norms to set up medical colleges have been relaxed.

The land requirement has been reduced from 20 acres to 10 acres. Faculty shortage is another important issue. In order to address this, the Medical Council has taken several steps. The maximum age for the appointment of faculty has been raised from 65 years to 70 years. This will help overcome shortage to some extent.

The Diplomate of National Board in Family Medicine or the DNB has been recognised as being equivalent to an MD, so that DNB qualified professionals can be recruited as teachers in medical colleges. We are also considering letting doctors with requisite skills in the private sector to teach in medical colleges.