NBE issuing Eligibility Certificate for medical teacher qualification!

Diplomate National Board have been on their toes since the recent Amendments to the Teachers Eligibility Qualifications (TEQ) rules have come out, that mandate DNB passouts to pursue 3 years of junior residency and 2 years of Senior residentship at MCI recognized institutions to be eligible for medical academia

Read Also: MCI knocks DNBs out of academia

The amendments stand clear in contradiction to the gazette notification of 11/06/2012, that established the MD-DNB equivalence for both MCI recognized medical colleges as well as non-MCI recognized hospitals that met the criteria laid down by the said MCI Gazette notification in terms of bed-strength and departments

Read Also: MCI agreed to MD-DNB equivalence before amending Medical Teachers Eligibility Qualifications: Records

With the National Board of Examinations taking up the matter with the health ministry as well as the Prime Minister's office , Govt of India on behest of PMO has directed the MCI to amend its TEQ regulations, deleting 3 year junior residency and specifically mentioning DNB along with MD/MS in the academic qualifications for various faculty posts.

Read Also: Health Ministry tells MCI to establish MD-DNB equivalence, delete 3year JR-ship

While MCI response is still awaited on the issue, it is reported that  the National Board of Examinations has started issuing the eligibility certificates for medical teacher qualification, to enable its graduates to apply for teaching positions as per the 2012 notification

Medical Dialogues team has a copy of one such certificate that was issued by the National Board of Examinations to a DNB candidate dated 25/08/2017.

The certificate pertains to a candidate who was registered with the National Board of Examination as a postgraduate trainee in DNB (Orthopaedics) and pursued post-graduate training for a period of 03 years in the specialty of Orthopaedics at Medanta - The Medicity, Sector - 38, Gurgaon.

The letter goes on to state that the hospital is not recognized as per IMC Act, 1956 for a postgraduate course in Orthopaedics. It is a multi-specialty hospital with more than 500 beds, and does not fulfill the conditions of equivalence stipulated in the Gazette Amendment Notification No MCI-12(2)/2010-Med.Misc, dated 11^th June 2012 to the Minimum Qualifications for Teachers in Medical Institutions Regulations, 1998.

Now as per the 2012 notification, such candidates who have completed their training from multi-specialty hospitals that do not fulfill the stipulated equivalence condition, will have to undergo, one year of training in an MCI recognized institute to be eligible for teaching posts. On the other hand, the June 2017 notification requires such candidates to under go 2 years of training.

However, NBE while issuing the certifications is still considering the 2012 notification on equivalence

in accordance with the Gazette Amendment Notification No. MCI-­ 12(2)/2010-Med.Misc dated 11^th June 2012 to the Minimum Qualifications for Teachers in Medical Institutions Regulations, 1993, the candidate required one year of experience as Senior Residency or equivalent training or research job in a recognized hospital / institution as per Indian Medical Council Act, 1956 for appointment to teaching positions at Medical Colleges/Institutions.

The issuance of the letter by the National Board of Examinations after the amendment, clearly states that NBE officials along with government officials still hold that 2012 notification is the law of the land  and the notification of 2017 has been issued only after accepting the criteria as per 2012 notification when referring to the DNB-MD equivalence for academia

Speaking to Medical Dialogues team, Dr Abhijath Sheth, President National Board of Examinations said," In the latest MCI amendment notification dated 5^th June 2017(Minimum Qualifications for Teachers in Medical Institutions (Amendment) Regulations, 2017), MCI has not mentioned about the DNB qualifications. Since, as per the IMC Act, 1956 all the DNB qualifications are equivalent to MD/MS/DM/M.Ch. and also as per the Notification No. MCI-12(2)/2010-Med.Misc.dated 11.06.2012(which mentioned about the teaching eligibility for DNB degrees), NBE is issuing Teaching Eligibility Certificates to DNB candidates."