New NMC Guidelines Recommend Yoga Department in Every Medical College with 1 male, 1 female instructor

New Delhi: The Undergraduate Medical Education Board (UGMEB) of the National Medical Commission (NMC) has suggested that every medical college may start a Yoga Department.

Further, the Commission has mentioned that such a Department of Yoga needs to have a minimum of one male and one female Yoga instructor/trainer to train the students and faculty in Yoga.

While the trainers shall be engaged by the concerned medical college, NMC UG Board further mentioned that consultation with the AYUSH ministry or its guidelines could also be utilised.

These recommendations by NMC UG medical education board have been included in the recently notified "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."

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that these guidelines were published by NMC in the official Gazette on August 16 and on the same day these guidelines came into effect.

"The objective of these regulations is to prescribe for a medical college and Medical Institution approved for admissions of MBBS students annually, the minimum requirements of accommodation in the college and its associated teaching hospitals, staff(teaching and technical) and equipment in the college departments and hospitals," NMC mentioned in the official Gazette notification.

Schedule-I of the Guidelines discussed the issue of accommodation in the medical college and its associated teaching hospitals. Among various requirements in respect of the medical college and the teaching hospital, the Guidelines also recommended that every medical college may start a Yoga Department.

Department of Yoga (Recommended):

"Every college may start a Yoga department with a minimum of one male and one female Yoga instructor/ trainer to train the students and faculty in Yoga. The trainers shall be employed or engaged by the college. Consultation with AYUSH ministry or its guidelines as prescribed from time to time, or local AYUSH centers could be utilised," NMC mentioned in the Guidelines.

Apart from this, these Guidelines also specified the requirements in respect of the college campus, administrative area, college council, central library, lecture theatres, small group teaching facilities, museum, skills laboratory, department offices, rooms for staff and other requirements, medical education unit, research facilities (including communication facilities, student amenities, child care centre), AEBAS system and Close Circuit TV Monitoring of medical colleges, minimum requirement of attendance, close circuit cameras, college website, biometric waste management, hostels for students, interns and resident doctors.

The Schedule II of the Guidelines talked about the Staff requirements. Apart from the General Remarks, it also discussed the faculty requirement for MBBS admissions in respect of various departments such as Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry, Pharmacology, Pathology, Microbiology, Forensic Medicine toxicology, Community Medicine, General Medicine, Pediatrics, Dermatology, Psychiatry, General Surgery, Orthopedics, Otorhinolaryngology, Ophthalmology, Ob-Gyn, Anesthesiology, Radiodiagnosis, and Dentistry. It also specified the required total strength of Professors, Associate Professors, Assistant Professors, Tutors/Demos and Senior Residents in respect of the total intake for 50/100/150/200/250 seats.

Click here to view the NMC Guidelines