NEW DELHI: Up to 30 per cent of faculty members, who teach first and second year students of medical colleges, do not have MBBS degree themselves.
This shocking revelation came out during a presentation given to the Board of Governors (BOG), which replaced the Medical Council of India (MCI) as the country’s apex regulatory body for medical education, two months back. The presentation was given by a team of doctors earlier this week.
The doctors have demanded that the MBBS degree be made a compulsory qualification criteria for joining medical colleges as teachers.
During the meeting with the Board, the group, as members of All India Pre and Para Clinical Medicos, pointed out that as a new MBBS curriculum is being adopted which will require medicos to interact with patients from the first year itself, the quality of teaching will be further compromised if the practice of roping in faculty members, not having MBBS, isn’t stopped.
“As there weren’t enough PG doctors several decades ago, the MCI said that those with general Masters in Science degree can be employed in medical colleges for non-clinical subjects such as anatomy and physiology, pharmacology, provided they hold the MBBS degree,” C M Kamaal, vice-president of the association, said.
“But later, even those without an MBBS degree, and holding a MSc or PhDs in life sciences, started being employed as faculty as recruitment at medical colleges, at the state level, could be easily manipulated,” he said.
“We have received the presentation in the matter and will soon take some action in this regard,” a official in the Board said.
Not fit to train future doctors
The revelation came out during a presentation given to the Board of Governors (BOG), which replaced
the Medical Council of India (MCI) as the country’s apex regulatory body for medical education, two months back