NMC releases draft TEQ Regulations 2021, details

This can be counted as yet another on the part of NMC, the apex medical education regulatory body to standardize medical education across India as these new regulations have repealed the older rules.

However, these new regulations have clearly mentioned that "anything contained in these Regulations, in respect of any appointments made under the Minimum Qualifications for Teachers in Medical Institution Regulations, 1998 or the recommendation of the Councils prior to that shall be protected, despite any provisions of these Regulations."

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These regulations include norms for appointing faculty in medical institutions, rules to determine the equivalent qualification of DNB with MD/MS and DM/M.Ch, eligibility required to be designated as postgraduate guide, norms for appointing faculty and their promotions, for determining teaching designations for Consultants/ Specialists for constituting a medical college or commencing a postgraduate course, for determining the teaching designations for Consultants/Specialists in Medical Institutions of Defence Services, and rules for appointing visiting faculties etc.

General Norms for Appointment of Faculty in Medical Institutions:

Every appointing authority before making an appointment to a teaching post in a medical college or institution shall observe the following norms:

1. All Medical Teachers must possess a basic University or equivalent qualification included in any one of the Schedules to the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956 (102 of 1956) and National Medical Commission Act, 2019. They must also be registered in a State Medical Register or National Medical Register, except in the case of teachers with non-medical qualifications.

2. The maximum age limit up to which a person can be appointed or granted extension or re-employed in service against the posts of Teachers or Deans or Principal or Director, as the case may be, which are required to be filled up as per the norms of the National Medical Commission in any Medical College or Teaching Institutions for imparting Graduate and Post-Graduate medical education shall be 70 years.

3. In the Departments of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry, non-medical graduates having M.Sc. (Medical) granted by the University of Health Sciences or Medical Colleges as full time regular on campus course with Ph.D. qualification in the concerned medical subject from a recognized University, in the subject concerned, can be appointed as Assistant Professors. The proportion of non-medical teachers can be up to 15% of the total number of faculty posts in that Department. In the Department of Community Medicine, Assistant Professor in Statistics shall possess M.Sc. with Ph.D. qualification from a recognized University. A non-medical person cannot be appointed as Dean or Director or Principal or Medical Superintendent or Head of the Department. Provided that non-medical graduates appointed as Assistant Professor in the subjects of Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry, Pharmacology and Microbiology on the basis of M.Sc. degree prior to the coming into force of Minimum Qualifications for Teachers in Medical Institution Regulations, 1998 on 05.12.1998, shall be eligible to be considered as Assistant Professor. However, Ph.D. degree in concerned medical subject is essential for promotion to higher teaching position. Such persons shall also be eligible after their retirement to serve as faculty on the same position from which they had retired until the permissible age for serving in a Medical College.

4. The appointing authority may consider holders of equivalent postgraduate qualifications, which may be approved by the National Medical Commission from time to time, to be the requisite recognized qualification in the subject concerned.

5. In cases where candidates with requisite experience are not available, a reference may be made by the appointing authority to the National Medical Commission for consideration on merits.

6. The position of Dean/Director/Principal of Medical Institution should be held by a person possessing recognized postgraduate medical degree from a recognized institution with a minimum of ten years teaching experience as Professor/Associate Professor in a Medical College/ Institution, out of which at least five years should be as Professor in the Department. Appointment to these posts shall be made on seniority cum merit basis. The post of Dean/Director/Principal of Medical Institution is a full time administrative post and they shall not hold any unit/post of HOD. But he may render clinical services and will be considered as Professor in the Department.

7. The Medical Superintendent of the affiliated teaching hospital shall possess a recognized postgraduate medical degree from a recognized Institution with a minimum of ten years teaching experience as Professor /Associate Professor in clinical department, out of which at least five years should be as Professor. Appointment to these posts shall be made on seniority cum merit basis. Medical Superintendent shall not occupy the position of the Head of the Department. However, he can head second or subsequent unit.

8. The position of Director of Standalone Postgraduate Broad Specialty Institution shall be held by a person possessing recognized postgraduate Degree from a recognized Institution with minimum of ten years teaching experience as Professor/Associate Professor, out of which, at least five years should be as Professor.

9. The position of Director of Standalone Postgraduate Super Specialty Institution shall be held by a person possessing recognized postgraduate Degree from a recognized institution with a minimum of ten years teaching experience as Professor/Associate Professor, out of which, at least five years should be as Professor. However, during transition period of ten years from the time of gazette notification of the super specialty course by the erstwhile MCI/NMC, if no eligible candidates with recognized Super Specialty degree qualification are available, then the post of Director in such standalone Postgraduate Super Specialty Institution be filled up by interested faculty with recognized broad specialty qualification, provided they fulfill the experience as prescribed in table 11 B.

10. Appointments to these administrative posts in Government Institutions including the in charge arrangements, amongst eligible candidates, shall be based on Inter se vertical seniority based on date of entry into the Institution/Service.

11. The post of Head of the Department in Medical Colleges/Institutions shall be on rotational basis for a period of three years amongst Professors.

12. Period spent by the teaching faculty towards acquisition of higher degree (Broad Specialty/Super Specialty) on concurrent duties/deputation shall not be counted as teaching experience for fulfilling eligibility criteria for promotion.

13. For holders of MD - Ph.D. in Medical Subjects, the period spent during Ph.D. shall be considered equivalent to Senior Resident period and they are eligible for direct appointment as Assistant Professors in the concerned subject.

14. The Statistician with MSc and PHD qualification, who has been appointed as Assistant Professor in the department of Community Medicine, may be given career progression. But, he cannot be the Head of the Department of Community Medicine.

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