How to prevent future unemployment of doctors? Here are parliamentary panel's recommendations
Doctor
New Delhi: In its 172nd report, a Department-related Parliamentary Committee on Health and Family Welfare has recommended measures to prevent future unemployment of doctors.
The panel has recommended that, along with the rapid expansion of MBBS and postgraduate medical seats under the oversight of the National Medical Commission (NMC), the Department must also ensure robust quality assurance mechanisms to safeguard training standards.
According to the panel, in parallel to setting up new medical colleges, expanding the medical seats, and recognising DNB qualifications, the Department must also strengthen faculty development, clinical exposure, and skill-based training modules across institutes.
Other recommendations by the Parliamentary Committee include periodic accreditation, competency-based assessment, and structured career planning.
Regarding the Government's strategy to ensure quality training and avoid future unemployment or under-skilled surgical specialists, the panel noted that as India rapidly increases MBBS and PG seats under the oversight of the National Medical Commission, the Government of India is systematically expanding medical education to keep pace.
Over the past 11 years, the Government of India has made gains in making quality medical education more accessible. There are now 23 publicly funded and leading All India Institute of Medical Sciences institutes, including the first-ever AIIMS in the northeastern area in Assam. There are 2,086 medical colleges, including 818 allopathy, 323 dental and 942 AYUSH institutions. Medical education seats for the MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) increased by 151% (from 51,348 to 128976), and postgraduate seats grew by 173% (from 31,185 to 85020). DNB qualification has been recognized for appointment as teaching faculty to take care of shortage of faculty, noted the panel.
To prevent future unemployment of doctors, the panel recommended, "The Committee strongly recommends that the Department must ensure that the rapid expansion of MBBS and PG seats under the oversight of the National Medical Commission is matched with robust quality assurance mechanisms to safeguard training standards and prevent future unemployment or under-skilled specialists. In parallel to the establishment of new medical colleges, seat expansion, and recognition of DNB qualifications, the Committee urges the Department to strengthen faculty development, clinical exposure, and skill-based training modules across institutions."
"Further, the Committee recommends instituting periodic accreditation, competency-based assessments, and structured career planning to align medical education output with national health system needs. By balancing expansion with quality and workforce planning, the Department can ensure that the growing pool of medical graduates and specialists are well-trained, employable, and capable of delivering high-quality healthcare services nationwide," it added.
Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health has recommended ensuring uniformity in faculty-student and patient-student ratios across all medical institutes, irrespective of ownership.
The committee opined that such uniformity across the medical institutes would help promote equitable clinical exposure, adequate academic mentorship, and consistent training opportunities for the postgraduate medical students across the country.
