Govt eyes push to students, faculty for non-clinical courses in medical colleges

Govt eyes push to students, faculty for non-clinical courses in medical colleges

The government is looking at ways to boost student enrolment in non-clinical PG courses such as anatomy, physiology, biochemistry. Medical colleges also face issues of lack of faculty.

Priyanka Sharma

Published 20 Feb 2025, 07:36 PM IST

Reportedly, there are 1.3 million MBBS doctors registered with the National Medical Commission, however, their specialisations are not known.

Even as the government claims to have increased the number of medical education seats in the country, these medical colleges and institutes face a severe student enrollment crisis in post-graduate courses such as anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pharmacology, forensics, microbiology and pathology, according to an official aware of the matter on condition of anonymity.

This has led to a faculty shortage for these courses since students are not keen on pursuing them.

In this scenario, the National Medical Commission (NMC) is mulling a two-pronged strategy to bridge the gap in demand for these courses.

First, NMC will open a third of the vacant faculty posts to non-medical teachers with a doctorate in the subject and a Bachelor’s and Master’s from the science stream. The other part of the plan is to make these courses more attractive for students through incentives and the inclusion of clinical activities.

Reportedly, there are 1.3 million MBBS doctors (both private and government colleges) registered with the National Medical Commission, however, their specialisations are not known.

Faculty posts

“There’s an acute shortage of post-graduate faculty mainly in pre-para clinical subjects—anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pharmacology, forensics, microbiology and pathology—as students do not want to opt for such seats. Even though NMC has allowed zero percentile (students with the lowest marks can get these seats) for such seats, the seats remain vacant. Last year, around 600 PG seats remained empty in 20-30 medical colleges,” said an official aware of the matter.

For example, a course with around 100 students should have at least three faculty members—a professor, an associate professor, and an assistant professor. However, the shortage of teachers in many courses makes running colleges difficult.

“In fact, government medical colleges are finding it difficult to get faculty for some PG courses. We hope that NMC’s draft regulation on Teachers Eligibility Qualifications Regulations (TEQ) 2024 attracts a good number of teachers as NMC has relaxed several qualification norms,” the official said. “This is a temporary exercise. When we get enough lecturers for these courses, NMC will start phasing out the system. This is being done so that colleges don't shut down.”

Going forward, colleges will issue public advertisements in two phases. In the first round, advertisements will be for faculty with a medical background in the specified subject. However, if these posts remain unfilled, the second advertisement will open them for non-medical faculty teachers, specifying that the posts were opened as there were no suitable candidates with a medical background.

“However, the priority will always be given to medical background (MD and DNB) candidates. This is the only way to fill the deficiency of faculty members in these courses,” the official added.

A senior professor from AIIMS-Delhi forensic department, who does not wish to be named, said, "Selection of courses is a personal choice of the student. However, vacant seats for non-clinical subjects are mostly found in medical colleges located on the outskirts or periphery of cities. When students complete MBBS, they broadly have clarity on what PG course to choose. Obviously, the first choice is always clinical subjects, but non-clinical subjects are equally good. As far as faculty for these courses is concerned, it is a dynamic process and a demand-supply game."

There is a misperception among medical students that courses like anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pharmacology, forensics, microbiology, and pathology are non-clinical subjects and require no interaction with patients, which discourages them from opting for these subjects in PG courses.

“So, in future, NMC may plan to bring more attractive norms for such non-clinical subjects like offering incentives to students, allowing one-year clinical courses, etc.,” the official added.

Queries sent to the health ministry spokesperson remained unanswered till press time.

SC rejects decades-old 'both handsintact' requirement to study MBBS

SC rejects decades-old 'both handsintact' requirement to study MBBS

TNN | Feb 22, 2025, 02.32 AM IST

NEW DELHI: Discarding the decades-old 'both hands intact' requirement for aspiring doctors, the Supreme Court on Friday said it "reeks of glorifying ableism" and directed National Medical Commission (NMC) to revise the outdated criteria to enable persons with disabilities (PwD) to pursue MBBS course.

Accepting Dr Satendra Singh's report favouring admission to a PwD candidate and rejecting the report of a five-member AIIMS medical board declaring him unfit to pursue MBBS course, a bench of Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan asked NMC to report the progress in revising the eligibility criteria by March 3. Dr Singh, part of the five-member board, had given a separate opinion.

Writing the judgment, Justice Viswanathan said, "The 'both hands intact' prescription has no sanctity in law as it does not admit of a functional assessment of the individual candidate, a matter which is so fundamental in protecting the rights of persons with disabilities." Referring to Dr Singh's report, the bench said it had an interesting reference about how in an age when robotic surgeries are relied upon, the NMC norms still insisted on the 'both hands intact with intact sensations' norm.

"A prescription such as 'both hands intact' reeks of ableism and has no place in a statutory regulation. In fact, it has the effect of denuding the rights guaranteed under the Constitution and the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act (RPwD Act) and makes a mockery of the principle of reasonable accommodation," the bench said.

The SC said one should not assume incompetence without providing ample opportunities after ensuring clinical accommodations and assistive technologies.

"In our considered view, the correct approach is the one that Dr Satendra Singh has adopted - to not bar a candidate at the threshold but grant the candidate the choice after completing the MBBS course, to decide whether he wishes to specialise in a non-surgical or medical branch or continue as a general duty medical officer," the bench said. "In our view, this prescription of 'both hands intact' is completely antithetical to Article 41 of the Constitution, the principles enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the salutary provisions of the RPwD Act," the SC said.

“In our view, this prescription of ‘both hands intact’… propagates that persons with typical abilities and with faculties similar to what majority may have are somehow superior. This is precisely what Directive Principles of State Policy, UN Convention and the RPwD Act abhor,” SC added.

Madambakkam lake full of sewage, hyacinth

Madambakkam lake full of sewage, hyacinth

Feb 22, 2025, 04.01 AM IST

Chennai: Madambakkam lake, covering over 250 acres, once a drinking water source, is now sewage-ridden and marred by unchecked growth of hyacinth. Additionally, there is illegal dumping of garbage, including plastic and meat waste.

In 2024, the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) floated a 10-crore tender to restore the lake and transform it into an eco-park, but nothing has changed. The issue was raised in a National Green Tribunal case. CMDA, however, is yet to submit updates on the project. Activists are now demanding that civic agencies drop their plan to build an ecopark.

“The lake should remain a lake instead of being converted into an eco-park. In recent years, many influential people have illegally occupied parts of the lake. They obtained 'patta' using their money and muscle power," said Mohan Srinivas, president, environment qwareness and protection association. “The agency must evict people who have occupied the area illegally,” he said.

Residents say they often see tankers illegally dumping sewage into the lake.

“This lake was once beautiful. We could have our morning walks around the lake,” said Vanitha S, a resident of Madambakkam. “We have seen it deteriorate over the years. Tambaram Corporation has taken no steps to protect it,” she said. In 2024, a team of scientists from IIT-M said the water was mixed with sewage, posing a serious threat to the fish and other aquatic species. To make things worse, waste collected from the area is dumped near the lake and is left to rot.

“We have complained to the Tambaram Corporation about the garbage issue, and we are waiting for them to resolve it,” said Murugesan R, a resident of Madipakkam.

CMDA assistant planner Priya R did not tell TOI why the work on restoration was delayed, but said, “Work is in progress and will be completed at the earliest.”

MBBS Exam Scam: Varsity To Check Answer Sheets Of Last 5 Years' Exams

MBBS Exam Scam: Varsity To Check Answer Sheets Of Last 5 Years' Exams 

Written By Divyani Paul 

Published On 18 Feb 2025 4:00 PM  

Haryana- In the reported MBBS exam scam from Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharma University of Health Sciences (UHS), Rohtak, authorities have now decided to to-check-answer-sheets-of-last-5-years-exams-

In this regard, an order has recently been issued by the VC stating that “As the inquiry committee suggested in its report on February 13, another committee is constituted to scrutinise the answer sheets and records of previous batches who can also be involved in this scam so that further necessary action as per the findings and rules may be taken.” 

To oversee this task, a three-member committee has been constituted under the chairmanship of PGIMS Medical Superintendent Dr Kundan Mittal. Dr Sukhdev Chandla, Professor of Physiology at PGIMS and Dr Arun Kumar, Professor of Pedodontics at PGIDS, Rohtak are the other members of the committee. According to TribuneIndia media news report, the sources on this stated that "The committee has been constituted by UHSR Vice-Chancellor Dr HK Aggarwal who wants to ensure action against officials and students involved in the MBBS annual or supplementary examination scandal”. 

This initiative aims to highlight any tampering of answer sheets or irregularities in the examination process during these examinations. Last year in 2024, a major scam of MBBS exam question papers came to light at Pandit BD Sharma UHS, where university staff charged huge sums of money from students to help them pass a particular subject by allowing them to rewrite their answer sheets using erasable ink pens and reference from the textbook 

On this, Medical Dialogues has earlier reported that the district administration has asked the institute to expedite its investigation and submit a report at the earliest for prompt action on the matter.

Ragging in Karnataka medical college; Kashmiri MBBS student ‘beaten’, given death threats by seniors Second-year student Hamim at Al-Ameen Medical College made to sing, dance, perform 'Al-Ameen' salute, beaten in hostel room. JKSA wants accused suspended.

Ragging in Karnataka medical college; Kashmiri MBBS student ‘beaten’, given death threats by seniors Second-year student Hamim at Al-Ameen Medical College made to sing, dance, perform 'Al-Ameen' salute, beaten in hostel room. JKSA wants accused suspended.

Ragging in Karnataka medical college; Kashmiri MBBS student ‘beaten’, given death threats by seniors... 

Read more at: https://news.careers360.com/ragging-in-karnataka-medical-college-al-ameen-kashmiri-mbbs-second-year-student-beaten-given-death-threats-seniors-jksa

NEW DELHI: 19.02.2025

Amid multiple reports of ragging incidents in colleges across the country, another case has now surfaced in Karnataka wherein a Kashmiri MBBS student has been allegedly ‘brutally’ ragged and assaulted at a medical college. Second-year student Hamim was beaten up by senior students of the 2019 batch at Al-Ameen Medical College in Bijapur, according to the Jammu Kashmir Students Association (JKSA). 

Calling it a ‘deeply disturbing incident’, the student body has sought state chief minister Siddaramaiah’s intervention to ensure strict action against the accused students and to safeguard the rights and safety of students, especially non-locals. It also demanded expulsion of those found guilty from the college.

According to the national convenor of JKSA, who spoke to the victim, the ragging had been going on for months, over a probable clash of power between the senior students and the MBBS student who is the captain of the cricket team of 2023 batch. 

Power clash, death threats 

The student belonging to Anantnag was beaten, humiliated, and severely ragged by seniors, JKSA alleged. Narrating the incident, the association said that the issue came up during a cricket match between the 2019 and 2022 batches on February 18. Initially, Hamim was asked to stay out of the boundary of the playground by the seniors, to which he complied and started watching the match from a distance. When he refused to stay afar, asserting his rights, the seniors allegedly confronted him. What initially was a verbal altercation, quickly turned into bullying, with a group of seniors asking Hamim to perform an "Al-Ameen salute”, sing songs, and dance for their amusement.

They even tried to force him into their car, in an attempt to harm him further. Calling such actions inappropriate and against college rules, the victim student refused and took out his phone to record the incident, further enraging the seniors. Later in the evening, some students barged into the Kashmiri student’s hostel room and inflicted physical assault on him, beating him repeatedly and forcing him to record a video apologizing. 

They also gave him death threats and warned him that he would not be allowed to play cricket for the next four years. “You have four more years here. We are locals—imagine how terrible we can make your life,” the seniors were quoted as saying by the student. “Such incidents highlight the alarming culture of unchecked ragging and abuse within educational institutions. This is not just an isolated case of violence—it is a failure of the system meant to protect students. Immediate legal action must be taken against the perpetrators, and both college authorities and law enforcement must intervene swiftly,” said JKSA. 

Stronger antiragging measures need to be implemented to ensure the safety and dignity of all students, especially non-locals and Kashmiri students, who often face additional discrimination, it added. 

Recently, a junior student at a government nursing college in Kerala’s Kottayam was subjected to ‘brutal’ ragging, an incident that triggered widespread public outcry in the state. Five third-year students who targeted first-year nursing students have been arrested. In similar cases, a government college student in Kerala made allegations of brutal ragging, and an Indore medical college student claimed ragging on social media. Follow us for the latest education news on colleges and universities, admission, courses, exams, research, education policies, study abroad and more..

 To get in touch, write to us at news@careers360.com.

Vellore doctor gang rape: Juvenile gets 20-year imprisonment

Vellore doctor gang rape: Juvenile gets 20-year imprisonment

In January this year, the Fast Track Mahila Court convicted four persons and sentenced them to 20 years of imprisonment

Updated - February 19, 2025 05:25 pm IST - VELLORE

The Hindu Bureau

The POSCO Fast Track Court at the Combined Court Complex in Vellore has convicted a 17-year-old and sentenced him to 20 years of imprisonment in connection with a gang rape that took place here in March 2022.

Judge D. Sivakumar delivered the verdict, sentencing the teenager and imposing a fine of ₹23,000 on him.

In January this year, the Fast Track Mahila Court at the court complex convicted four persons and sentenced them to 20 years of imprisonment and imposed ₹25,000 fine each in connection with the case. The police said the five persons, including the juvenile, were involved in the crime that took place past midnight on March 16 three years ago.

The police said that a woman doctor from Bihar and her colleague, a native of Nagpur in Maharashtra, were returning after watching a film at a cinema hall in Katpadi. They hailed a share autorickshaw in which there were four other men.

Instead of taking them to their destination in Old Town via the Green Circle on the Chennai-Bengaluru Highway, the driver took them to Sathuvachari.

Parking the vehicle at a secluded spot near a burial ground, the accused assaulted the duo and three of them gang-raped the doctor. The accused also robbed them of ₹40,000 and two sovereigns of gold jewellery.

After the incident, the woman returned to Bihar and lodged a complaint online with the then Vellore Superintendent of Police, S. Rajesh Kannan, on March 22. Based on her complaint, a case was registered by the Vellore North police under various Sections of the Indian Penal Code (PIC) and Section 4 of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.

Subsequently, all the five accused were arrested. The four men were remanded in judicial custody while the teenager was sent to a correctional home. The stolen valuables were recovered from them.

Published - February 19, 2025 01:51 pm IST

Licences of Khyati hospital director, PM-JAYofficial suspended for 3 yrs

 Licences of Khyati hospital director, PM-JAYofficial suspended for 3 yrs

20.02.2025

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat Medical Council (GMC), on Wednesday, suspended the medical registration of Dr Sanjay Patoliya, one of the directors of Khyati Multispecialty Hospital, and Dr Shailesh Anand, a state govt ocial overseeing the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), for a period of three years. The suspensions are related to the deaths of two PM-JAY beneciaries following angioplasty procedures at Khyati Hospital in Nov, sources said. The GMC stated that the action followed a Nov 14 request from the additional director of Medical Services, Gandhinagar seeking action against the medical practitioners named. The committee studied documents and decided to suspend the registration of Dr Patoliya for MBBS and MS (surgery) for a period of three years. Likewise, the registration of Dr Anand for MBBS and DCM have been suspended for three years in another order signed by the registrar of the GMC.

"The step is to ensure that it works as a deterrent for othe ..

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