Faculty recruitment: Doctors Demand guidelines for Single-Speciality Hospitals to consider DNB equivalent to MD, MS

New Delhi: The doctors have urged the National Medical Commission (NMC) to define in the TEQ 2024 Regulations regarding the minimum bed requirement for single-speciality hospitals to consider the DNB graduates from such institutes as equal to MD/MS degree holders in faculty recruitments.

Submitting its suggestions on the recently released Draft TEQ 2024 Regulations, the Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA) referred to the Draft that says that DNB Broad speciality and super speciality qualifications can be considered equivalent to MD/MS and DM/M.Ch if such DNB degrees are granted after training in a Medical Institute with attached hospital or a hospital having 500 or more beds.

In this regard, the association has suggested that to consider DNB Broad speciality and super speciality qualifications equivalent to MD/MS and DM/M.Ch, the bed requirement should be 300 in the case of a multi-speciality hospital or one hundred or more beds in the case of any particular single-speciality hospital. While submitting its suggestions on the Draft, the association also submitted compiled data of DNB institutes with more than 100 beds in a single speciality.

Explaining the issue, Dr. Meet Gohnia, Secretary of FORDA told Medical Dialogues, "Till now Doctors who are completing their DNB from Institutions that have less than 500 beds aren't considered as equal to MD/MS. But we have compared the data to show that in Institutes that have single-speciality and are running DNB courses, in such institutes, beds are often more than 100."

Also Read: 1-year Senior residency exemption for Doctors with foreign PG medical qualifications- proposes NMC Draft TEQ

What Does the Draft TEQ 2024 Say? 

Clause 3.6 of the Draft deals with the aspect of Determining the equivalence of the qualification of DNB (Broad Specialties) with MD/MS and DNB/DrNB (Super Specialties) with D.M./M.Ch.

It states, "The Diplomate of National Board in broad specialty and super specialty qualifications when granted after training in a Medical Institution with attached Hospital or in a hospital with the strength of five hundred or more beds, by the National Board of Examinations, shall be equivalent in all respects to the corresponding broad specialty (MD/MS) and Super Specialty (DM/M.Ch) Postgraduate qualification, but in all other cases, senior residency in a Medical College for an additional period of one year shall be required for such qualification to be equivalent for the purpose of teaching."

Define Separate Criteria for Single-Speciality Hospitals, Urges FORDA: 

Submitting its suggestions on the Draft, the association referred to Clause 3.6 and mentioned that the "Provisions made in Section 3.6 of Draft TEQ Regulations are very stringent so it should be relaxed and modified."

As per FORDA, NMC should modify the TEQ Rule to mention that "The Diplomate of National Board in broad speciality and super speciality qualifications when granted after training in a Medical Institution with attached Hospital or in a hospital with the strength of three hundred or more beds in case of multi-speciality hospital or one hundred or more beds in case of any particular single speciality hospital, by the National Board of Examinations, shall be equivalent in all respects to the corresponding broad speciality (MD/MS) and Super Specialty (DM/M.Ch) Postgraduate qualification, but in all other cases, senior residency in a Medical College or in a hospital with the strength of three hundred or more beds in case of multi speciality hospital or one hundred or more beds in case of any particular single speciality hospital for an additional period of one year shall be required for such qualification to be equivalent for the purpose of teaching."

Along with the letter, the association also attached the list of hospitals with particular single-speciality with 100 or more beds conducting the DNB Broad Specialty course. The association highlighted that in the case of Respiratory Medicine, MD/MS holders are eligible to teach in medical colleges even if they have pursued their degree from any Medical College with 225 beds for General Medicine (in which Respiratory Medicine is one of the sub-speciality of General Medicine).

On the other hand, it pointed out that if DNB is done at the National Institute of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases, New Delhi having only particular single speciality of Respiratory Medicine with 470 beds, the doctors will have to undergo one year of senior residency to be eligible to be considered as faculties in medical colleges.

Referring to this, the association remarked, "The fact shown in this table clarifies that there is clear injustice to candidates who have done their DNB from big hospitals having particular single speciality with 100 or more beds. Hence corrections should made in the “DRAFT TEACHERS ELIGIBILITY QUALIFICATIONS IN MEDICAL INSTITUTIONS REGULATIONS 2024” as suggested here."

Writing to the Postgraduate Medical Education Board (PGMEB) of NMC, FORDA mentioned, "Maintaining standards in Faculty recruitment is equally important to ensure that quality of medical education is not compromised. Non medical teachers may address vacancies temporarily but could dilute the expertise required in such specialized fields. More sustainable approach might be to make specialized branches more appealing by offering competitive salaries, career advancement opportunities & support for research. Additionally, Mentorship programs could be introduced, pairing expericed faculty with new recruits, to maintain academic rigor and ensure high teaching standards.We are expecting guidelines for DNB Institutes regarding minimum beds in single speciality to consider them as equal as MD/MS in faculty recruitments."

Also Read: NMC Releases Draft TEQ Regulations 2024, Check details