Medical teachers association calls for reforms in post graduate courses and protests the new guidelines that exclude scientist teachers

• The National M.Sc Medical Teachers' Association (NMMTA) has asked for reforms in Medical M.Sc courses to the Indian government.
• The teachers association has expressed their concern after the National Medical Commission excluded non-medical teachers from the para-clinical specialties of Pharmacology and Microbiology in its latest guidelines.
• Officials from the government have ensured the association that their concerns will be addressed.

The National M.Sc Medical Teachers' Association (NMMTA) has asked for reforms in post graduate medical courses to the Indian government.

The heads of the NMMTA met top officials from NITI aayog as well as the Health Secretary (MoHFW) to look into their concerns. Officials from the government have ensured the association that their concerns will be addressed.

"Medical M.Sc courses, which are conducted in the medical colleges on the lines of MD courses need reforms. Ever since MCI silently abandoned regulating these courses, they are now regulated by individual health universities. In the absence of a regulating scientific council, there are variations in these courses with respect to the mode of admissions, duration of courses, dissertation, etc. We want reforms and regulations of these courses; only medical colleges must be permitted to run them", said Dr. Sridhar Rao, President, NMMTA in a statement.

Dr Rao also said that the current curriculum is in dire need of an upgrade according to the changing times.

The association also said that Ph.D. aspirants who wish to appear for NET examination end up taking a Life Sciences exam. "General M.Sc & Medical M.Sc are different as the former is the core life sciences and the later one is specialized to suit the medical field. This puts us at a disadvantage when we scientists wish to clear NET tests for pursuing Ph.D", said Arjun Maitra, General Secretary of the association.

The teachers association has expressed their concern after the National Medical Commission excluded non-medical teachers from the para-clinical specialties of Pharmacology and Microbiology in its latest guidelines. “In the department of Anatomy, Physiology, Pharmacology, and Microbiology, non-medical teachers may be appointed to the extent of 30% of the total number of posts in the department. However, in the department of Biochemistry, non-medical teachers may be appointed to the extent of 50% of the total number of posts in the department,” said the latest guidelines.

However, this doesn’t bode well with scientists who are teachers in the country. “Scientists teaching non-clinical subjects, which are basic and allied medical sciences, is a common practice all over the world. In fact, there are scientist faculties in the clinical specialties in US medical schools", said Maitra.

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