NEW DELHI: The fate of about 1,700 doctors looking to work as heart specialists appears to have been sealed, as the medical education regulator refuses to recognise their PG diploma in clinical cardiology offered by the Indira Gandhi National Open University.
The two-year course, designed by celebrated cardiologist Dr Devi Shetty, was started in 2006 to train doctors as cardiologists in 70 hospitals across the country. Between 2006 and 2012, about 1,700 doctors opted for the course.
The university, however, stopped fresh enrollment in 2013 after the Medical Council of India (MCI) refused to grant a license to students pursuing it.
A group of doctors who had earlier taken the course then approached the Delhi High Court. In September last year, the court asked the Union Health Ministry to take a view in the matter.
“The MCI-Board of Governors too came to the conclusion that those doctors cannot be allowed to work as cardiologists,” a senior health ministry official told this newspaper.
Reason: Evaluation of the training programme was not done within one year of starting it as per the Indian Medical Act, 1956 rules.
The IGNOU said it will further pursue the matter.
“We had started the course to address the shortage of specialist doctors in the country and have been trying to get MCI recognition,” said Dr T K Jena, director of the school of health sciences at IGNOU.