National Commission for Homoeopathy releases BHMS regulations 2022, Details

New Delhi: Providing a defining structure to the Bachelor of Homoeopathic Medicine and Surgery (BHMS) courses, the National Commission for Homoeopathy has released National Commission for Homoeopathy [Homoeopathy Graduate Degree Course - Bachelor of Homoeopathic Medicine and Surgery (BHMS)] Regulations - 2022.

The regulations, that has come into force after its publication in the Gazette dated December 7, 2022, have specified the eligibility criteria and rules for admission to BHMS courses in the institutes across the country along with the manner of admissions.

It has also laid discussed in details about the duration of BHMS course, pattern of study and methodology for supplementing modern advancement, research and technology in Homoeopathy.

Apart from this, the Commission has also specified about the general guidelines for examinations, results and re-admission to the BHMS course, the details about University examination, assessment process, scheme of assessment, migration of students during the study, details about compulsory rotatory internship training, the process of maintaining electronic logbook, evaluation of internship programme, leave for interns, completion of internship, academic calendar, tuition fees etc.

As per the regulations, now securing 50th percentile in NEET exam has become mandatory for BHMS admission. While the admission to the BHMS courses will be made on the basis of merit, the duration of the course will be five years and six months including compulsory rotatory internship programme of 12 months.

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Eligibility criteria for admission and manner of admissions:

Making the NEET examination mandatory for BHMS admissions, the Regulations stated, "There shall be a uniform Entrance Examination for all Homoeopathy Medical Institution namely National Eligibility-cum- Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to under-graduate course in medical institution in each academic year and shall be conducted by an authority designated by the National Commission for Homoeopathy."

The regulations state that for the BHMS admissions, the candidates will have to clear 10+2 or its equivalent examination from any recognised Board with Physics, Chemistry, Biology with a minimum of fifty percent marks taken together in Physics, Chemistry and Biology/Biotechnology for the General category students. However, in case of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes, the students will be required to obtain a minimum of forty percent marks. The general category students with disability will have to obtain 45% marks in the examination.

Apart from this, the candidates who will study Biology/ Biotechnology as an Additional Subject at 10+2 level will also be considered for such admission. However, candidates passed from Open School or as Private candidate shall not be eligible to appear for National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test.

Setting the minimum age bar at Seventeen, the Commission further clarified that "no candidate shall be considered for admission in Bachelor of Homoeopathic Medicine and Surgery (B.H.M.S.) Course unless the candidate attains the age of seventeen years on or before the 31st day of December of the year of admission in the first year of the Course."

"Provided that for foreign national candidate, any other equivalent qualification approved by the Central Government may be allowed for admission and sub- regulation (2) of regulation 4 shall not be applicable in this behalf," further mentioned the regulations.

Specifying the minimum required marks in the NEET examination for BHMS admission, the regulations mentioned, "No candidate obtaining less than marks at 50th percentile in the National Eligibility-cumEntrance Test for undergraduate course conducted for the said academic year shall be considered for such admission.

Provided that the candidate belonging to the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes obtain marks not less than 40th percentile and the candidate belonging to person with the disability as specified under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (49 of 2016) obtains the marks not less than 45th percentile in case of General category and not less than 40th percentile in case of the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes shall be considered for admission,"

However, the Commission clarified that "Provided further that the Commission may, in consultation with the Central Government lower the marks required for admission to undergraduate course for candidate belonging to respective category and marks so lowered by the Commission shall be applicable for that academic year."

The admission to BHMS courses will now be made on the basis of merit. In this regard, the regulations stated, "An All-India common merit list as well as State-wise merit list of the eligible candidate shall be prepared on the basis of the marks obtained in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test conducted for the academic year and the candidate within the respective category shall be considered for admission to undergraduate course from the said merit list."

"The seat matrix for admission in the Government institution, Government-aided institution and private Institution shall be fifteen percent. for all-India quota and eighty-five percent. for the State quota and Union territory quota as the case may be," it further stated.

It has further been specified in the regulations that admission to BHMS courses shall be made on the basis of counselling, which shall be conducted by the authority designated by the Central Government.

Duration of B.H.M.S Course:

The Commission has mentioned in the regulations that the duration of the Bachelor of Homoeopathic Medicine and Surgery (B.H.M.S) Course shall be five years and six months. Only duration for the first year of the course has been fixed at eighteen months. The duration for each of the rest of the course year has been fixed at twelve months including the Internship programme.

Pattern of study: 

In the regulations, it has been mentioned that the BHMS course shall consist of main programme and electives. Providing details about the pattern of study, the regulations further stated, "total teaching hours for first professional session shall be not less than two thousand one hundred and six (2106) while for second, third and fourth professional session, a minimum of one thousand four hundred and four (1404) hours teaching in each professional session to complete."

"Working hour may be increased by the University or medical institution as per requirement to complete the stipulated period of teaching and requisite activity," it further added.

Methodology for supplementing modern advancement, research and technology in Homoeopathy (SMART-Hom.):

Referring to the methodology for supplementing modern advancement, research and technology in Homoeopathy, the regulations mentioned, "To accomplish the supplementation of modern advancement, scientific and technological developments in Homoeopathy System of Medicine, all the thirteen departments as mentioned in table 2 of regulation 7, shall be supplemented, enriched and updated with relevant and appropriate advancement or development in the area of diagnostic tools, conceptual advancement and emerging areas."

General guidelines for examinations, results and re-admission:

The Commission has also laid down several general guidelines for examinations, results and re-admission to BHMS course. Some of the important guidelines are as follows:

(1) The University or agencies empowered by the Commission shall conduct examination for the Bachelor of Homoeopathic Medicine and Surgery (B.H.M.S) Course.

(2) The examining body shall ensure the minimum number of hours for lectures or demonstrations or practical or seminars etc. in the subject in each Bachelor of Homoeopathic Medicine and Surgery (B.H.M.S.) examination as specified in these regulations are followed, before allowing medical institution to send the student for university examination.

(3) Each student shall be required to maintain at least seventy five percent. attendance in each subject in theory/lecture hours/ practical and clinical / non-lecture hours separately for appearing at examination.

(4) Internal assessment examinations to be conducted by medical institution during first, second, third and fourth Bachelor of Homoeopathic Medicine and Surgery (B.H.M.S) professional year.

(5) The weightage of internal assessment shall be ten percent. of the total marks specified for each subject for main university examination and internal assessment shall be in the forms of practical only.

(6) It is compulsory for every student to pass with minimum fifty percent. marks in the internal assessment examination prior to filling the final university examination form of the respective professional year and Head of medical institution shall send the marks of internal assessment and term test to the university prior to final examination of any professional year

(7)To become eligible for joining the Compulsory Rotatory Internship programme, a student must pass all four professional examinations and qualified in six electives and the entire course of Bachelor of Homoeopathic Medicine and Surgery (B.H.M.S) including internship shall be completed within a period of maximum ten years. (13) The theory examination shall have ten percent. marks for Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ), forty per cent. marks for Short Answer Questions (SAQ) and fifty percent. marks for Long Explanatory Answer Questions (LAQ) and these questions shall cover the subject widely etc.

Under the general guidelines, the Commission has also provided details about the grading system, regular and supplementary examination, process of appointing external and internal examiner, and several other important factors.

Compulsory Rotatory Internship Training: 

Regarding the Compulsory Rotatory Internship Training, the regulations stated, 

"Each candidate shall be required to undergo compulsory rotatory internship including internship orientation and finishing programme within one year from passing of fourth Bachelor of Homoeopathic Medicine and Surgery (B.H.M.S.) examination. Ordinarily the internship training shall commence on first working day of April for regular batch students and first working day of September for supplementary batch students."

"The student shall be eligible to join the compulsory internship programme after passing all the subjects from First to Fourth (Final) Professional examination including six electives and after getting Provisional Degree Certificate from respective Universities and provisional registration Certificates from respective State Board or Council for Compulsory Rotatory Internship," further mentioned the Regulations.

"During internship, the interns belonging to institute of the Central Government, State Government or Union territory as the case may be, and all the private homoeopathic medical colleges/institutions shall be eligible to get the stipend at par with other medical systems under respective Government and there shall not be any discrepancy between medical systems," it added.

Apart from this, the Commission has also discussed about the issue of migration during internship, objectives of the orientation programme, activities during the internship programme, etc.

To view the complete regulations, click on the link below:

https://medicaldialogues.in/pdf_upload/bhms-regulations-2022-193518.pdf

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