Undergraduate medical students to study ethics, communication from 2019-20

Undergraduate medical students will study a course on ethics and communication from the 2019-20 academic year, with the newly appointed board of governors of the Medical Council of India approving the the new MBBS curriculum.

In a bid to address the shortage of medical faculty in the country, the board has also approved a proposal to relax norms for DNB (Diplomate of National Board) degree holders to teach in hospitals like PGI, AIIMS, and other state medical colleges.

DNB doctors, who get their training at private hospitals which do not have medical colleges, obtain their postgraduate qualifications from the National Board of Examination (NBE).

As per the proposal, DNB degree holders working in specialties with over 100 beds and super-specialties private hospitals will be eligible for faculty positions on completion of one additional year as senior residency at any MCI-recognised institution.

The notification will be issued soon, said board chairman Dr Vinod Paul.

The ethics and communication module, meanwhile, will be taught over several years and seeks to address the trust deficit in the doctor-patient relationship by emphasising to students right from the training stage the importance of not just treating a patient but also communicating.

News Source (Indian Express)