November 27, 2020.
TED NewsDesk, New Delhi: MBBS classes are most likely to reopen before December 1st or latest on December 1st itself as the National Medical Commission has released in its statement on Thursday. The new academic session will probably start from February 1, 2021, and the new postgraduate classes will begin from July 1, 2021.
The National Medical Commission (NMC) has laid down a few guidelines for the medical colleges to follow. According to the health secretary, Rajesh Bhushan,
“Further, the NMC has advised that a sufficient number of non-COVID beds may be made available in medical college hospitals to facilitate undergraduate medical training. The ministry has also obtained concurrence from the ministry of home affairs for reopening medical colleges in states and UTs.”
According to NMC’s intimation, after five years, almost 80,000 less doctors will be available due to the late reopening of medical colleges across the country. Hence it suggested opening the institutions at the same time to maintain the uniformity in the following of the curriculum.
Such a step, according to the NMC, would maintain the competency of the medical profession in the country. The medical colleges were ordered to close during the beginning of the lockdown in March.
The qualifying exam for medicine, PG- NEET will likely be held during March-April, 2021. The NMC emphasised that the interns of the present batch must complete their training for being able to sit for the qualifying exam.
Although online classes have been taking place continuously ever since the virtual mode was approved of, NMC has questioned the competency and the efficiency of such training when the interns should be getting practical, hands-on experience. Especially during the pandemic, it is a massive loss for the interns not to be able to learn how to handle the pandemic.
Their education will be incomplete without the practical experience and would impact their efficiency in the long run. Besides, further halt in medical education can result in future accessibility of doctors.
Source: Times of India
