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In the light of acute shortage of medical teachers, the first thing on the Union Health Ministry’s mind after stripping the Medical Council of India (MCI) of its powers is to increase the number of teaching positions.
Over 2,000 new teaching positions could be created in a year, if the Ministry's proposal is accepted.
PG teachers
Sources in the Ministry confirmed that its long-pending demand of inducting Diplomate of National Board (DNB) post-graduates as teachers in medical colleges will be the first thing on the agenda of the Board of Governors (BoG) that was appointed by the government on September 26 to supersede the MCI.
An MBBS graduate undergoes three years of post-graduate training to gain a DNB degree. The MCI was against inducting them as assistant professors immediately and compelled them to practise for three years as resident doctors before giving them teaching posts.
Curbs eased
“This was unnecessary. We have now proposed that those who have completed DNB from under-500-bed medical college will have to serve one year as resident doctors, and those who have completed DNB from over 500-bed medical college can directly be inducted as teacher,” a senior official said.
If the BoG approves this proposal, it will benefit over 2,000 DNB students and save them at least two years of wait as mandated by the MCI, before joining teaching positions in medical colleges.
In a letter viewed by BusinessLine, members of the SC-appointed Oversight Committee to Health Ministry had discussed the issue of making DNB post-graduates equivalent to MD or MS students since September last year. Even after multiple reminders, the MCI had not complied with the oversight committee’s recommendations.
“Now that the BoG has superseded MCI, we expect things to move in a smooth fashion,” said Preeti Sudan, Union Health Secretary.
Board gets cracking
The first meeting of BoG was held on September 26 itself, when the Ordinance was promulgated.
“The issues of DNB doctors and teaching position, recognition to diplomas issued by College of Physicians and Surgeons, charting out guidelines for disability and inclusionary criteria in medical education will be on the agenda of the BoG,” said Sudan.
Sudan also said that inventories are being charted out, all computers in MCI are being scanned and scrutinised, as the Supreme Court-appointed Oversight Committee had complained that MCI functioned in a non-compliant and an opaque manner.
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