NMC Draft Continues to Include Animal Experimentation as Integral Part of Competency-based Curriculum of PG medical Courses

New Delhi: Despite the opposition from the members of the medical fraternity, the Postgraduate Medical Education Board (PGMEB) of the National Medical Commission (NMC) has decided to continue with the practice of experimentation on animals as a part of postgraduate medical courses.

In the recently released Draft Postgraduate Medical Education Regulations (PGMER) 2023, the PG Board of NMC has announced that the curriculum for post-graduate medical courses in Physiology and Pharmacology shall continue to include animal experimentation as an integral part.

Previously, doctors had opposed to practice of conducting experimentation on animals. In the draft Postgraduate (PG) Medical Education Regulations 2021 as well, NMC had mandated the use of animals in teaching and training of PG pharmacology and physiology courses.

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that in response to the Draft at that time, more than 60 doctors had approached the NMC and they claimed that using animals is unnecessary for routine teaching and training of PG pharmacology and physiology courses.

The doctors had also urged the NMC to ensure that animals were replaced by more effective, human-relevant techniques in PG courses. Pointing out that if the students continue to use animals in their courses they would miss the emerging animal-free trends and employment opportunities, the doctors had requested the apex medical education regulatory body to amend the proposed guidelines and remove the mandate to use animals.

Also Read: Doctors oppose animal use in PG pharmacology and physiology courses, write to NMC

"It is unnecessary to use animals for routine teaching and training of PG pharmacology and physiology students. Medical students - and India - would benefit more if the students developed practical skills using human-relevant research techniques and gained experience in clinical aspects like epidemiological surveys, clinical postings, case based learning, and patient centric teaching", the doctors had stated in their appeal.

NMC recently released the Draft PGMER 2023, which laid down the draft framework as well as the regulations that are to be followed by each of the medical colleges offering PG medical courses across the country. In the Draft regulations, the Commission has proposed to continue the practice of animal experimentation in the PG courses in Physiology and Pharmacology.

Addressing the issue of animal experimentation, the Commission mentioned in Section 10.2 of the Draft, "Animal experimentation should continue to be included as an integral part of the competency based curriculum of post-graduate courses in Physiology and Pharmacology in medical institutions. However, the use of non-animal, human relevant methods may be encouraged for teaching and training of post-graduate students in these subjects, wherever possible. If animals are used as a part of research studies or thesis work, biomedical ethics and relevant rules and guidelines framed under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, must be strictly adhered to."

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