Why Respiratory Medicine removed from MBBS CBME Curriculum? NMC clarifies

New Delhi: Amid the ongoing court proceedings before the Bombay High Court, the Undergraduate Medical Education Board (UGMEB) of the National Medical Commission (NMC) has once again justified its decision to remove the Respiratory Medicine Department in MBBS Medical Colleges across the Country.

The Apex Medical Education Regulatory Body has given this justification while responding to a letter by the Karnataka Pulmonologists Association, which had requested the Commission to reinstate the Department in the MBBS medical colleges in India.

Justifying its action, NMC UG Medical Education Board mentioned that tuberculosis and chest diseases & allied subjects were new 50 years back when there were inadequate skill & knowledge about the subjects.

"Medical Science has progressed by leaps & bounds in the last seven decades. Now, Specialty and Super specialty in Respiratory Medicine/Pulmonary Medicine is available in Medical College training," the Commission pointed out.

Also Read: MBBS Curriculum: Why are Respiratory Medicine Specialists at Loggerheads with NMC

NMC further pointed out that for UG students, General Medicine and allied subjects are covered by faculty in Medicine. It further mentioned that UGMEB has been given a mandate to provide and improve medical education at UG level :-

"An Act to provide for as medical education system that improves access to quality and affordable medical education, ensures availability of adequate and high quality medical professionals in all parts of the country; that promotes equitable and universal healthcare that encourages community health perspective and makes services of medical professionals accessible to all the citizens; that promotes national health goals."

The Commission further mentioned that in addition to the TB & Chest Disease/Respiratory Diseases, there are at least 27 such specialties and each demanding their space in CC, education.

"This is overburdening an undergraduate medical student and loosing the student in the process. UGMEB wants to make UGME interesting and stimulating to the students so that they become leaders of healthcare services as primary level. Now, this subject shall be covered by faculty of General Medicine and allied subjects while teaching the students. This will also ease the process of opening new colleges especially in peripheral rural areas," the Commission mentioned, adding that Respiratory Medicine/Pulmonary Medicines are now already Specialty & Super-specialty subjects where interested candidates can pursue their education and also fulfill the needs of the society.

Medical Dialogues reported that last year, the Undergraduate Medical Education Board (UGMEB) of the National Medical Commission (NMC) had removed three departments- Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PMR), Respiratory Medicine, and Emergency Medicine from the list of departments that every medical college/institution must have to be approved for undergraduate medical admissions on an annual basis. The provision for a separate department for respiratory medicine is also absent in the newly released Competency-Based Medical Education 2024 guidelines.