No Externships: MUHS tells MBBS students to complete internship from parent medical colleges

Nashik: Putting an end to the practice of externships, the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS) has recently clarified that the MBBS medicos need to undergo the entire period of Compulsory Rotating Internship Training (CRMI) in their parent institutes.

Issuing a circular in this regard, MUHS has confirmed, "The provision made available to students until last year where one could pursue their internship at other universities in India, including deemed institutes/universities in Maharashtra, is now being discontinued. Students will have to clear their 12-month internship at the university they are enrolled in."

Such a decision has been taken by the University in compliance with the National Medical Commission's CRMI Regulations that had been published last year. Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that in the Draft Regulations For Rotational Compulsory Regulations, 2021, the Apex Medical Body had clarified that "Indian Medical Graduates shall complete their entire period of Compulsory Rotating Internship in the institution where they have pursued and completed their MBBS."

Internship is a phase of training wherein a medical graduate will acquire the skills and competencies for practice of medical and health care under supervision in preparation for independent, unsupervised primary care. Up until now, MUHS used to allow the practice of externship, by which the medicos were allowed to complete their internship programmes in other hospitals attached with medical colleges and universities as well. However, in order to obtain the permission for externship, the approval by MUHS was necessary.

Also Read: MBBS internship only at Medical College where medico is studying: NMC releases fresh guidelines for Compulsory Rotating Internship

However, after NMC barred the practice of allowing Indian medicos pursue MBBS internship in other institutes, now MUHS has also issued a circular in this regard. Putting an end to the practice, MUHS in the recent circular was quoted stating by NDTV, "Students will have to clear their 12-month internship at the university they are enrolled in."

"After the new gazette on compulsory rotating medical internships regulations was declared by the NMC, the same was discussed in the academic council of the MUHS. As per the decision taken, all medical colleges are informed that the process of changing the medical college for internships which was allowed as per the amendments in the academic notification in 2012 will now be stopped for degree courses. This will be applicable from the date of the circular," further added the circular dated May 02.

Earlier while issuing a notification to the students about the Rules and Regulations concerning the CRMI internship, MUHS had clarified the similar facts. "All such candidates shall complete their entire period of compulsory rotating internship training (CRMI) in the institution where they have pursued and completed their Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS). No candidate shall be allowed for internship transfer," MUHS had mentioned in the notification issued on April 28.

Speaking to Indian Express regarding the matter, an official from medical education department stated, "Offering medical services to areas where a medical college is located was one of the objectives to approve medical colleges. This meant the college is expected to provide medical facilities in that area. Due to the transfer process, some medical colleges could ignore running a health facility which included having qualified doctors to treat patients. Now all colleges will have to mandatorily provide properly functioning hospitals for students to complete internships."

The daily further adds that the students and the parents have opined it to be a loss of exposure as the externship practice used to allow the medicos to join internship programmes in colleges with heavy patient load. This way, the students used to get the best possible exposure.

Also Read: Further Extension of MBBS Internship deadline will disrupt entire academic schedule: Supreme Court