Draft TEQ 2024: NMC Says Non-Medical Teachers Can Teach Anatomy, Biochemistry, Physiology, Doctors Cry Foul

New Delhi: Releasing the Draft Teachers Eligibility Qualifications 2024 Regulations, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has specified that non-medical teachers can work as senior residents and faculties in medical colleges to teach three subjects including Anatomy, Biochemistry, and Physiology.

To become eligible to teach these subjects in medical colleges, non-medical teachers must have an MSc and PhD degree in these specialities. However, the Apex Medical Commission has clarified in the Draft TEQ 2024 rules that non-medical teachers will be eligible for appointment as Senior Resident and Faculty (Assistant Professor and beyond) to teach these Broad Specialty subjects during the transitional period.

However, the doctors have expressed their disappointment over the NMC's decision to allow non-medical teachers as faculties in medical colleges. They have expressed their concerns that this decision may ultimately compromise the quality of medical education.

Broad Specialties in which Persons with non-medical Qualifications will be eligible for appointment as Senior Resident and Faculty during the transitional period:

However, NMC has clarified that above qualifications should have been granted by the NMC-recognized/accredited Medical College/Institute as regular in-campus course in the subject concerned.

Also Read: NMC Releases Draft TEQ Regulations 2024, Check details

What is the "Transition Period": 

Defining the "Transition Period", during which the non-medical teachers will be allowed to teach these subjects, NMC mentioned the following:

"In a specialty (subject) if enough faculty having qualification of that specialty are not available, one with related qualification and training/experience is made eligible to become faculty of that specialty for limited period till adequate number of faculty with qualification of such speciality are available. This limited period is called transition period and conditions required to be fulfilled for this will be called as transition period criteria."

Duration of Transition Period: 

As per the NMC Draft TEQ 2024 Regulations, the duration of the transition period will be decided by NMC based on the recommendation of PGMEB.

Transition Period Criteria: 

i. In Anatomy, Physiology, and Biochemistry, non-medical graduates having MSc (relevant Medical) and PhD (relevant Medical) qualifications listed in the draft which are granted by NMC recognized/accredited Medical College/Institute as regular in campus course in the subject concerned, can be appointed as faculty. However such a non-medical person cannot be appointed as Head of the Department, Dean, Director, Principal or Medical Superintendent.

ii. In all other specialties where transitional period criteria are applied, one of the following experience/training requirements as mentioned below in points a, b and c and research requirements as mentioned in point d. will have to be fulfilled for one to be eligible to become a faculty.

a. Experience for three years in any Medical college/Institute running an exclusive department/unit of this new speciality which is having exclusive infrastructure and faculty for the speciality (faculty of which are not being shown as faculty of other unit/department)

b. Experience for three years in any Institute of National Importance (INI) Medical Institute running such unit/department.

c. Experience for three years in a well-known Institute of excellence in India or abroad running such unit/department

d. Should have done two publications in this new speciality during these three years as per NMC norms for publications.

Saving Clause: 

NMC has also extended relief to the already employed non-Medical teachers. It mentioned in the Draft TEQ 2024 Regulations that "Notwithstanding anything contained in these Regulations, any appointment made under the "n Teachers Eligibility Qualifications in Medical Institutions Regulations, 2022" or the recommendation of the Councils prior to that, shall be protected."

Doctors cry foul 

Meanwhile, the NMC's decision to allow non-medical teachers to be appointed as faculties in medical colleges has received opposition from the section of the medical fraternity.

Reacting to these regulations, doctors have termed it as "very unfortunate", especially after so much opposition from medical doctors including agitations and strikes nationwide. They also expressed their concern that the quality of medical education might be hampered after the appointment of non-medical teachers as assistant professors.

Commenting on the matter, the National President of the United Doctors' Front, Dr. Lakshya Mittal told Medical Dialogues, "The National Medical Commission’s (NMC) decision to permit non-medical practitioners to teach critical pre-clinical subjects such as Anatomy, Physiology, and Biochemistry in medical colleges is deeply concerning. This move undermines the foundation of medical education, which directly impacts the quality of healthcare delivery in our country."

"While we recognize the need to address the shortage of qualified MD faculty, this should only be a temporary measure, strictly limited to scenarios where no MD candidate is available. The transition period must be explicitly defined, ensuring it serves as a stopgap rather than a permanent compromise. Furthermore, non-medical practitioners should neither be appointed as permanent faculty nor engaged on a contractual basis for these roles. Private medical colleges may exploit this decision, using it as a loophole to sidestep the need for qualified medical educators. Such actions could degrade the quality of education and training provided to future doctors," he added.

"Teaching core subjects like Anatomy, Physiology, and Biochemistry by unqualified personnel risks compromising the foundational knowledge of medical graduates and the skills of future surgeons and clinicians, ultimately jeopardizing patient safety. We appeal to the NMC to reconsider this decision in the best interest of medical education and healthcare quality in India," he further mentioned.

Terming NMC's decision of allowing non-medical teachers to be appointed as faculty in medical colleges as "tragic", Dr. Rohan Krishnan, the Chief Patron of the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) told Medical Dialogues, "That NMC is going to lower the standard of medical education in this country to so less that Indian doctors will be jobless and skilless in future."

Further commenting on the draft, the president of Federation of Resident Doctors' Association (FORDA), Dr Aviral Mathur said, "It has finally happened. There was a lot of hue and cry over this in 2023 when we also participated in a protest to condone this. But I guess, the need arises from the fact that there is an extreme shortage of medical specialists in some non clinical branches for the posts of faculty. Those seats go empty most of the times, translating into few pass outs and even fewer available to teach."

"With increasing seats and colleges, more faculty is needed and maybe NMC thought of it as a stop gap arrangement," he added.

Protests by non-Medical Teachers: 

For a long time, non-Medical teachers have been protesting against the NMC rules and regulations, through which, the Commission reduced the total number of posts available in medical colleges for non-medical teachers. Further, the Commission released CBME 2023 guidelines and excluded non-medical teachers as MBBS examiners.

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported about NMC's "Guidelines for Under Graduate Courses under Establishment of New Medical Institutions, Starting of New Medical Courses, Increase of Seats for Existing Courses & Assessment and Rating Regulations, 2023", which was released in August last year. Releasing the concerned guidelines, NMC clarified that only 15% of the total number of posts in the Anatomy, Physiology, and Biochemistry departments would be filled by non-medical teachers.

Further, the Competency-Based Medical Education Curriculum (CBME) Regulations 2023, which came into effect on August 1, 2023, excluded the non-medical teachers altogether as the examiners for the undergraduate medical examinations.

Raising these concerns, previously the National MSc Medical Teachers Association (NMMTA) had met the Union Health Minister J P Nadda and sought his intervention. The association claimed that the NMC regulations led to a significant shortage of staff in medical colleges and affected the quality of education and training provided to future healthcare professionals. Earlier, the association had also called for a co-existence with the medical teachers.

Also Read: Non-Medical Teachers Meet Health Minister Nadda, Urge to Address 'unfair disqualification' due to NMC Regulations