: The National Medical Commission (NMC), in its draft “Teachers Eligibility Qualifications (TEQ)in Medical Institutions Regulations” for 2024 has retained a two-year-old provision allowing non-medical graduates with MSc and PhD degrees to teach medical students anatomy, biochemistry, and physiology. The commission has, however, limited the appointment to a “transitional period” – a specific period where adequate faculty with medical qualifications in these specialties are unavailable.
This provision has, however, sparked mixed reactions within the medical fraternity. Some groups criticised the provision, arguing it may dilute the quality of medical education, as others said it was a necessary step to address the faculty shortages across institutes in the three departments.
The medical education regulator released the draft TEQ 2024 on January 17 and asked stakeholders for comments within a week. The draft regulations, if implemented, will replace the existing regulations 2022.
In its 2022 norms, NMC first allowed the appointment of candidates with MSc and PhD degrees as assistant professors in anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry while making a PhD degree in medical subjects essential for promotions to senior teaching roles.
TEQ 2024 retained the teaching provision, but limited the role of such candidates as “faculty”.
“In a specialty (subject) if enough faculty having qualification of that specialty are not available, one with related qualification and training or experience is made eligible to become faculty of that specialty for limited period till adequate number of faculty with qualification of such specialty are available. This limited period is called transition period..,” NMC said in its draft TEQ 2024.
A senior NMC official said the priority will always be to appoint candidates with doctor of medicine (MD) degrees in anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry. However, if they are unavailable, candidates with MSc and PhD in these subjects from NMC-recognised medical colleges will be appointed with a cap of 15% of the total posts in the departments.
Earlier in 2020, NMC had limited appointment of non-medical teachers in these three departments at 15% stating that the new Competency-Based Medical Education (CBME) curriculum, which focuses on the development of specific competencies in medical students, has early clinical exposure from the first year of MBBS and requires persons with medical qualification to conduct these integrated teaching sessions. The CBME curriculum divides four-and-a-half years of the MBBS course duration into three phases. Anatomy, Physiology, and Biochemistry are taught to first-year MBBS students in the first phase.
“There are enough medical faculties in Anatomy, Physiology, and Biochemistry specialties and NMC should not allow 15% of non-medical faculties to teach these subjects. This is nothing but trying to compromise with quality in medical education,” said a principal of a government medical college from North-Eastern state.
However, an NMC official cited above said, “We are still seeking comments from the stakeholders on the draft. We will compile all comments and suggestions and send them to the health ministry before taking the final call. We are trying to address the shortage of faculties in medical colleges by allowing 15% MSc with PhD candidates from medical colleges in the absence of MD candidates to teach MBBS students. This is transitional and not permanent. After completing MBBS, students are not choosing these subjects even after reducing the NEET-PG cut-off to zero percentile. It is better to fill the faculty posts with MSc with PhD students in the absence of MD candidates.”