New Delhi: A panel from the Health Ministry recently discussed critical issues in India's medical education sector, including faculty shortages, MBBS curriculum reforms, and strategies to improve the doctor-population ratio. The webinar, held from 9:00 AM to 6:30 PM, featured a session titled "Expansion of Medical Education," chaired by Dr. M. Srinivas, Director of AIIMS Delhi.

Experts such as Dr. B. N. Gangadhar (Chairman, NMC), Dr. Abhijath Seth (President, National Board of Examinations), Dr. Rajib Bahl (DG ICMR & Secretary DHR), Dr. G. D. Puri (AIIMS Jodhpur), and Prof. Suneela Garg contributed to the discussions.

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Key Takeaways from the Health Ministry Panel Discussion:

1. Faculty Shortage

Dr. Abhijath Seth, President of NBEMS, proposed creating a national faculty pool as an innovative solution to address faculty shortages. He highlighted that universities worldwide tackle faculty shortages by hiring aging or honorary faculty members on a contractual basis.

Although he acknowledged that this approach could serve as a mid- to long-term solution, he stressed the need for immediate interventions. Dr. Seth emphasized structured clinical training and competency-based learning for postgraduate students. He also proposed integrating public and private sectors, extending the retirement age for educators, and offering incentives and recognition to teachers.

Additionally, Dr. Seth suggested including healthcare professionals willing to contribute pro bono in the national faculty pool and advocated for continuous research and innovation promotion. He stated that a national teacher database could revolutionize medical education by combining physical, virtual, and digital training methods.

2. MBBS Curriculum Reforms

Dr. Rajib Bahl, DG ICMR, pointed out significant gaps in the MBBS curriculum. He noted that the curriculum prioritizes knowledge transmission over competency development, and medical graduates tend to focus on individual therapeutic care instead of preventive and promotive healthcare.

To address these gaps, he recommended:

Increasing digital learning to optimize faculty-student interactions.

Utilizing telelearning to expand the reach of top educators beyond a limited number of students.

Introducing clinical exposure from the first week to make basic sciences more relevant to patient care.

Enhancing research training to help future doctors understand and apply innovations in medical practice.

3. E-Learning Platforms for Standardized Medical Education

Dr. G. D. Puri from AIIMS Jodhpur emphasized the need for e-learning platforms to standardize medical education. He suggested:

Developing a national digital curriculum in collaboration with NMC, NBE, AIIMS Delhi, PGI, and other medical universities.

Creating a centralized digital library integrated with the National Digital Health Mission to facilitate evidence-based learning.

Incorporating virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) for immersive learning experiences, especially in surgical and clinical training.

4. Strategies to Achieve the Ideal Doctor-Population Ratio

Dr. B. N. Gangadhar, Chairman of NMC, stressed the need for more human resources to address evolving disease patterns. He recommended:

Focusing on outpatient care and long-term management rather than just hospital-based treatments.

Maximizing the utilization of clinical resources to train more medical professionals effectively.

5. Integrating DNB Teachers as Medical College Faculty

Dr. Gangadhar proposed allowing DNB-qualified teachers in hospitals to serve as faculty members in medical colleges. He also suggested that senior residents with diplomas be promoted to faculty positions to address faculty shortages.

6. Faculty Development Programs

Dr. M.V. Srivastava highlighted that although faculty development programs have existed for decades, they remain optional and unstructured. She advocated for:

Making faculty training mandatory at all career stages, from assistant professors to senior faculty members.

Incorporating pedagogical and assessment training to improve teaching quality.

7. Digital Accreditation for Medical Colleges

Panelist Sanjeev Singh emphasized the need for digital accreditation to streamline the inspection process for medical colleges. He proposed:

Implementing a digital accreditation portal for document review and compliance tracking.

Utilizing AI-driven audits to enhance transparency and reduce human intervention in the accreditation process.

8. District Residency Program (DRP)

The Principal Secretary of Health and Family Welfare, UP, urged medical colleges to leverage the District Residency Program (DRP) to increase PG seats by 25%. He also suggested doubling the number of DNB seats to strengthen the postgraduate training system.

9. Increasing MBBS Seat Limits in Existing Colleges

As part of efforts to increase MBBS seats by 75,000 in the next five years, the panel recommended raising the current seat cap of 150 in older medical colleges to 200.

Conclusion

The expansion of medical education in India requires structural reforms, technological advancements, and policy changes. Experts emphasized faculty development, curriculum modernization, digital learning, and increasing medical seats as key priorities. The Health Ministry panel's recommendations aim to create a more robust and standardized medical education system to meet the growing healthcare demands of the country.