COIMBATORE: Becoming a doctor may no longer be easy in India. The Regulations on Graduate Medical Education 2012 drafted by the Medical Council of India (MCI) mandate MBBS students to undergo a two-month foundation course for qualifying for the Phase I (main degree) examination. Besides, attendance requirement has become stricter and accumulating arrears in exams would lead to detention.
The foundation course is being mooted to orient students to the MBBS programme and provide them communication (including electronic), technical and language skills. “Once the Regulations take effect, only students who have at least 75% attendance in the foundation course will be eligible to take the Pre-Clinical Phase I examination,” a MCI official said. Similar attendance requirement would apply separately for theoretical and practical classes throughout the course.
While the MBBS course shall be of four-and-a-half years’ duration, students would have to undergo compulsory rotating internship for one year thereafter.
“Only those who clear all papers in the first professional exam would be permitted to proceed to Phase II of the training. This mandate would apply at each stage. A student will get four attempts to pass the first professional exam within four years,” the official said.
If a student fails to pass in all subjects within nine years of joining the first year MBBS course, he/she shall not be eligible for graduation.
The new regulations also mandate universities to conduct day-to-day internal assessment for students based on their participation in the learning process including assignments, seminar and clinical case studies/presentation. At least two internal assessment exams must be held in each non-clinical subject and one exam in every clinical subject annually.
“Only students who secure a minimum of 50% marks separately in theory and practical/clinical tests in the internal assessment would be eligible to appear in the final university exam of that subject. The internal marks will not be added to the final exam marks to determine pass or fail,” the official said.