Flexner Model: Parliamentary Panel Advises NMC to Study International Best Practices

New Delhi: A Parliamentary Committee has recently recommended that the National Medical Commission (NMC) should undertake a comparative study of best practices of its parallel organisation in various countries.

Such a recommendation was given by the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare in its One Hundred Fufty Seventh Report, which was presented before the Parliament on 9th February 2024.

The panel, chaired by Shri Bhubaneswar Kalita, opined that such a study, if undertaken by NMC, can help the Commission to usher in best practices followed around the world and help make NMC an institution par excellence.

It mentioned in the report that countries across the world have adopted the Flexner Model changing it suitably whenever required. According to the USA's National Library of Medicine website, Flexner's report opines that all education should be utilitarian and should prepare the individual for the responsibilities of citizenship and for an occupation or a profession. It is a book-length landmark report of medical education in the United States and Canada, written by Abraham Flexner and published in 1910. The Report, also known as Carnegie Foundation Bulletin Number Four, called on American medical schools to enact higher admission and graduation standards, and to adhere strictly to the protocols of mainstream science in their teaching and research, as per Wikipedia.

After conducting a scrutiny of various governing authorities for medical education across the countries U.S.A, U.K and China, the panel observed that NMC meets international professional standards in medical education.

It was further observed by the panel that barring a few countries at the global level, the shortage of doctors at present or for the future seems to be an all-pervading problem. The developed countries are able to meet this shortfall by serving as attractive destination for medical graduates from the developing countries and by easing the process for the practice of medicine by the International Medical Graduates, noted the panel.

In the context of the standardised tests for medical education, the Committee noted the fact that behavioural and social sciences are also becoming part of the testing process of various countries to assess the ethics, integrity, etc. of the medical aspirants.

Therefore, the panel recommended in its report, "The Committee recommends National Medical Commission undertake a comparative study of best practices of its parallel organisation in various countries. The Committee feels that this measure can help NMC to usher in best practices followed around the world and help in making NMC an institution par excellence."

Concerning the maintenance of a national database of resident doctors, the committee recommended that NMC should maintain a real-time national database akin to the GME Track of the USA.