MSc, PhD medical teachers' future still looms uncertain due to NMC guidelines

The government is yet to take a decision on the future of non-MBBS teachers in medical colleges.

National Medical Commission (NMC) in its guidelines had proposed to reduce the percentage of teaching in biochemists, pharmacologists, and microbiologists in medical colleges. Ever since the guidelines were published, the non-MBBS ( Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) teachers in the medical colleges are urging NMC and Union health ministry to not reduce their representation in medical colleges.

Its been a year when nearly 6,000 non-medical teachers in medical colleges asked the Central health ministry to not reduce their percentage, the government has still not taken any decision on the same.

The National MSc Medical Teachers Association (NMMTA) had pleaded the health ministry to get the NMC decision changed to help the existing teachers and address faculty crisis in institutions.

“The shortages are more pronounced in the colleges located in rural, remote or hilly areas where the availability of medical teachers is generally poor,” said Sridhar Rao, president of NMMTA, as reported by The New Indian Express.

He also pointed out that despite there has been an increase in Doctor Of Medicine (MD) seats in the non-clinical subjects, around 40 to 50% of them remain vacant each year resulting in the faculty shortage.

Last year, NMC had released the regulations, as per which the permissible intake of non-MBBS teachers had come down from 50% to 15% in biochemistry, 30% to 15% in anatomy and physiology, and from 30% to 0% in microbiology and pharmacology.

While the non-medical teachers' designations in the medical colleges range from tutor to professor and even head of departments, the clinical subjects always have doctors faculty with MBBS and MS/MD degrees. 

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