NMC to Recognize 4 PDCC specialisations After Complaints by PG medicos: Report
National Medical Commission
New Delhi: After receiving complaints from postgraduate medical students, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has planned to recognize the post-doctoral certificate courses (PDCC) in medical specializations such as paediatric endocrinology, laboratory immunology, spine surgery, and critical care, Live Mint has reported.
Even though such courses are taught in medical colleges and hospitals, the Apex Medical Commission currently does not recognize such courses. Around 37 such courses are taught all across the country and students pay hefty fees to just get the clinical exposure, an official aware of the matter informed Mint.
However, NMC has now written to all the medical institutes across India to include such courses as post-doctoral certificates, post-doctoral fellowship, doctor of medicine, and master of chirurgiae (surgery).
Medical Dialogues recently reported that NMC invited applications from the medical colleges seeking inclusion of new PG medical qualifications. The Postgraduate Medical Education Board (PGMEB) of NMC on 11.09.2024 issued a public notice asking the medical institutes conferring an undergraduate and postgraduate or super-speciality medical qualification to apply to the concerned Board, along with required documents, for inclusion of any new PG medical qualification, which is not already included in the list.
Again on 24.09.2024, the PGMEB issued another notice mentioning that medical institutes desiring to start a new MD/MS,DM/MCh, PDF, PDCC or 6 YEAR DM/MCh Qualifications may seek the guidance of the PG Board by sending their request.
The provision for the inclusion of new medical qualifications is available under the National Medical Commission (Recognition of Medical Qualification) Regulations, 2023. As per the Regulation "Any medical institution conferring an undergraduate or postgraduate or super-specialty medical qualification may apply to the concerned Board, along with such documents and information, for inclusion of any new medical qualification, which is not already included in the list".
Live Mint has reported that NMC now plans to recognize PG certificate courses in medical specializations such as paediatric endocrinology, laboratory immunology, spine surgery and critical care after it received complaints from PG medicos. The medical colleges that wish to run such courses from now on will have to apply before the PG Board of NMC by paying the requisite fee of Rs 250000 per qualification.
Commenting on the matter, an official told the Daily, "These are the specialist training courses which medical students pursue after MBBS. All over India there are around 37 such courses in some of the medical colleges for which they charge around ₹15-20 lakh from the students just for giving clinical exposure. However, even after the student has completed these skill enhancement courses, their qualification is not registered. Right now, most of the corporate hospitals are doing such courses and are not regulated."
As per the NMC notice dated 30.09.2024, the applicants need to attach the following annexures with the application form:
(a) Standard Assessment Form Part-A [Institutional Information common for all PG Specialities]. See SI. No. 2 at Download Application Forms NMC.
(b) Standard Assessment Form Part- B of the Parent Specialty.
Apart from this, the PG Board has specified that all the applications should be accompanied by the requisite fee of Rs 2,50,000 plus GST @ 18% per qualification and addressed to the Post Graduate Medical Education Board.
"No application shall be entertained by the PGMEB which does not come in the proper format along with the requisite fee," NMC clarified.
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