NO MCI Recognition: Rajasthan directed to Scrap certificate course for MBBS doctors

Jaipur: The certificate course for skill development for MBBS doctors initiated by the Rajasthan Health Department under Rajasthan University of Health Sciences (RUHS), for in-service doctors in the state has been done away with by an order of the Rajasthan High Court on Friday.

The certificate course was launched in 2014 to upgrade the skills of in-service MBBS doctors posted in rural areas and address paucity of specialized doctors.The course that was run for a year initially had its tenure increased to 21 months later.

Facing with the acute shortage of specialised manpower, the certificate courses were started in Seven specialities including Gynecology and Obstetrics, paediatrics, Anaesthesia, Orthopaedics, Radio- diagnosis, general medicine and general surgery. As per the order of the government, the one year certificate course duration would be treated as departmental inservice training. (Read here)

Declaring the course to be illegal, the single bench of Justice M N Bhandari in his order said the RUHS cannot conduct such courses without the approval of the Medical Council of India (MCI)

The court order was in response to a petition filed by Dr Ramesh Goswami and others, two years ago. The petitioners are post-graduate medical students specializing in radiology.

Sandeep Singh Shekhawat, the petitioner’s Counsel, said the petitioners had challenged the order of the Medical and Health Director, issued on October 7, 2014, and November 11, 2014, directing the Registrar, RUHS, to conduct one-year certificate courses in seven specialties in state-run medical colleges by December 2014 and also ready a curriculum for them all.

As per the order, Medical officers of the department were offered to take up the course by filling a Rs. 5 lakh bond. A written examination was to follow on completion of course. Successful candidates were to be issued certificates by the university.

The petitioners in their plea informed out that they had received admission in MD courses after taking all-india test and scoring high marks They said there were only a few posts of specialization in this field as the teacher-student ratio in such specialization is 1:2,

On the other hand, Challenging the sanctity of this course offered by the Rajasthan government , the petition stated that  the doctors, selected under the scheme at the directorate level, neither came through the PG exam nor by the pre-PG merit list.  They further submitted that the course did not enjoy the Council’s recognition and no course could either be initiated or considered legal without the MCI’s approval, reported the TOI.

Upholding the argument of the petitioners, the court ordered scrapping of the said course by the department