The recently notified Post-Graduate Medical Education Regulations, 2023 have drawn criticism from doctors, who say that key concerns — such as the working hours, mental health and burnout issues among resident doctors, as well as the irregularity of stipends — have not been addressed. Doctors were also unhappy that the guidelines are silent on the integration of Artificial Intelligence in the curriculum.
The regulations cover the admission, counselling, and course work for post graduate medical education in India. They stipulate that the students will be provided “reasonable time for rest” in a day, and will be permitted a minimum 20 days of casual leaves per year and five days of academic leave per year.
Doctors with disabilities
None of the recommendations provided by a group called Doctors with Disabilities: Agents of Change were taken into consideration, said Satendra Singh, a disability rights activist and medical doctor at the University College of Medical Sciences and Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital. “On January 1, 2024, the [National Medical Commission] NMC Gazette was published, including the last two pages outlining guidelines for candidates with disabilities in postgraduate admission. The gazette offers inclusivity by providing 5% reservation to doctors with disabilities in PG admission, which was already in existence,” he said.
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Saying that the recommendations submitted by their group were overlooked, he noted that the current version of the regulations violated a Supreme Court order. “For instance, a girl with a speech disability was granted admission in the Undergraduate medical programme in Haryana this year, but this gazette would render her ineligible for PG admission. Additionally, perplexing new terms like ‘moderate’ dyslexia have been introduced, which are not in accordance with the Act. The gazette also asserts that individuals with mental illness and autism cannot be granted admission due to a purported lack of methods to establish diagnosis, a claim contradicted by existing rules,” he said.
Groundbreaking reforms
In a statement, the Commission said that the regulations brought in groundbreaking reforms in post-graduate medical education aimed at fostering quality, ethical practice, and inclusivity within the medical fraternity. These reforms encompass various critical aspects of post-graduate medical training and aim to enhance the standards of education and practice nationwide.
“The regulation prohibits the migration of students from one medical institution to another. Additionally, seat reservations in medical colleges for various categories will align with the prevailing laws in States/Union Territories,” the notification states.
Yogender Malik, a member of the Ethics and Medical Registration Board and Head of the Media Division at NMC, said: “The comprehensive reforms outlined in the Post-Graduate Medical Education Regulations, 2023, mark a pivotal moment in ensuring the highest standards of medical education in our country. These regulations underscore our commitment to nurturing a proficient and ethical healthcare workforce. We aim to enhance the educational landscape, emphasising inclusivity and competence among future medical professionals.”
