Non-medical faculties plan protest at Jantar Mantar against NMC’s ‘discriminatory policies’

NEW DELHI: The National M.Sc Medical Teachers' Association (NMMTA) has announced a protest in Delhi against the alleged “discriminatory policies” of National Medical Commission (NMC). NMMTA represents MSc and PhD candidates who teach non-clinical subjects in medical colleges. The teachers will protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on Monday, August 21, 2023 against NMC’s decision to reduce the percentages of non-medical teachers in certain subjects and their exclusion from the roles of undergraduate examiners.

In its Competency-Based Medical Education Curriculum (CBME) regulations 2023, NMC has said that only those teachers who possess postgraduate degree following MBBS degree will become examiners. CBME regulations 2023 have become effective from August 1.

"Person appointed as an examiner in the particular subject must have at least four years of total teaching experience as assistant professor after obtaining postgraduate degree following MBBS, in the subject in a college affiliated to a recognized medical college (by UGMEB of NMC)," NMC’s Undergraduate Medical Education Board (UGMEB) said in its regulation.

The NMC's discriminatory policies are “hindering” the growth of a diverse and collaborative medical education ecosystem, said Tukaram Prabhu, NMMTA president.

“Key issues of contention include the reduction in permissible percentages of non-medical teachers in certain subjects and their exclusion from important roles such as undergraduate examiners. These actions have created an uneven playing field for non-medical teachers, impacting their ability to participate fully in medical education and research,” he said in a statement.

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NMMTA secretary Dr Ayan Das said, "Our goal is to advocate for a fair and unbiased medical education system that values the contributions of all educators, regardless of their medical background. We believe that diverse perspectives enhance the quality of education provided to medical students."

NMMTA and allied organisations along with 200 non-medical teachers from medical colleges will be holding the protest against

“biased treatment and discriminatory policies” towards them by the NMC. The protest at Jantar Mantar will enable non-medical teachers to voice their concerns and demand equitable treatment within the medical education system. The NMMTA has urged the centra; government to intervene and restructure the NMC’s UGMEB with individuals who can impartially represent the interests of all stakeholders, without bias or prejudice.

Medical College: Reduction of non-medical faculties

Last year in April, NMC reduced the proportion of non-medical teachers appointed in medical colleges from 30% to 15% in the departments of anatomy and physiology. The proportion of non-medical teachers in biochemistry has been reduced to 15% from 50% and has been completely removed from pharmacology and microbiology.

The shortage of medical faculty had led to the introduction of non-medical faculty in the non-clinical subjects of the MBBS course, namely anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pharmacology and microbiology. Now NMC in its CBME regulations is enabling MBBS students towards early clinical exposure and integration to hospitals from the first year of MBBS, and reduced the proportion of non-medical faculties.

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Earlier on July 19, 2023, Indian Medical Association (IMA) in a letter to union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya to ensure that only medical postgraduates be considered as eligible candidates for appointment in the medical colleges to uphold the competency-based medical education (CBME) Syllabus. IMA requested Mandaviya to ensure that non-medical postgraduates’ faculties continuing in medical college be adjusted within the 15% limit already notified by NMC.

“IMA firmly believes that where thousands of postgraduate medical teachers are available in the paraclinical field, it is not advisable to compromise with the standard of medical education by allowing non-medical teachers who have no knowledge of Applied Medicine and undergraduate curriculum of MBBS to teach them on this subject," said the association.