Parliament cleared the amended Indian Medical Council Act bill on Thursday, August 26. The bill proposed to reconstitute the Medical Council of India (MCI) within one year and establish a board of governors, which will the incharge of the MCI’s functions.
Union Health Minister Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad has approved the Bachelor for Rural Medicine Course (BRMC), giving all states the choice to adopt it. Minor changes are being made in the proposed course and the proposal has been sent to the Medical Council of India (MCI).
There is an urgent need to constitute an autonomous body set up by an Act of Parliament with the twin objectives of promoting and regulating medical education at all levels, was the key point of observation that came up in the memorial lecture of Prof G Ram Reddy, delivered by Prof MVS Valiathan, a reputed cardiac surgeon and winner of the Padma Vibhushan.
Private sector healthcare companies have been allowed by the Medical Council of India to start medical colleges to address the shortage in the number of seats.
A two day workshop will be held in Delhi to discuss an alternative model for under-graduate medical education to create a cadre of rural doctors for the villages.
The Government has asked the Medical Council of India to revise the norms prescribed for opening of new medical colleges to enable opening of colleges in rural and under served areas, Panabaka Lakshmi, Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare told the Rajya Sabha recently.
Even as it ruled out any major shortage of post-graduate medical seats, the Government recently said proposals for over 60 new medical colleges have been sent to the Medical Council of India (MCI) and norms relaxed for establishment of new colleges.
Doctors will have to have a rural stint for a year before getting their masters degree in medicine. Beginning next academic session, doctors will have to undergo a mandatory additional one-year rural internship as part of their post graduate (PG) degree in medicine. At present, PG in medicine is a three-year course, which most doctors pursue to specialise in niche areas.
The Jammu and Kashmir government has taken a slew of initiatives and administrative reforms to improve healthcare facilities in rural areas of the state.
In a landmark order, the national consumer disputes redressal commission has made it mandatory for all medical practitioners and hospitals across the country to provide the entire medical records of a patient to himher or the authorised nominee or legal authorities concerned within 72 hours of the demand.
Next year, if you fail to make it to a prestigious medical college, don’t lose hope of studying medicine. A leading hospital chain is all set to offer India’s first MBBS programme through distance education.
The recent launch of e-Learning programs at the Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences Digital Library at Vijayawada should prove to be a blessing for many health sciences graduate and post graduate aspirants.
