New NMC rules force all PG students to work as full-time resident doctors for ‘reasonable’ working hours – News18

The National Medical Commission (NMC) has come up with new rules that stipulate all postgraduate students must work as full-time resident doctors and have “reasonable working hours”. According to the recently notified “Postgraduate Medical Education Regulations, 2023”, students will be provided “reasonable time for rest” in a day.

They will be allowed a minimum of 20 days casual leave per year and five days academic leave per year. “Subject to exigencies of work, postgraduate students shall be allowed one weekly leave,” the new rules, which replace the Postgraduate Medical Education (Amendment) Regulations, 2018, said.

“All this will reduce the stress on students. Earlier, there was no written provision for holidays,” said Dr Vijay Ojha, chairman of the Post-Graduate Medical Education Board of NMC. The rules state that if a candidate takes leave more than the sanctioned number of days, his/her leave will be extended by the same number of days to complete the training period.

However, one will be able to appear in the examination only if there is 80 percent attendance. Furthermore, the rules stipulate that it shall be mandatory for the college to provide reasonable residential accommodation to postgraduate students. However, it will not be mandatory for postgraduate students to live in hostel.

According to the new rules, once a medical college gets permission to start PG courses or seats, the course will be considered recognized for the purpose of qualifying registration for students. This will solve many of the difficulties faced by students in registering their degrees after passing the postgraduate examination, Ojha said.

“The new rules will also remove uncertainty among students whether these courses will be recognized by the NMC or not,” an official source said. As per the new rules, the existing NEET-PG examination will continue until the proposed National Exit Test (NExT) for the purpose of PG admissions becomes operational.

Ojha said, “NMC unveiled unprecedented reforms in postgraduate medical education after considering comments and suggestions of various stakeholders and detailed in-house discussions, aimed at promoting quality, ethical practice and inclusivity within the medical fraternity ” “These reforms cover various important aspects of postgraduate medical training and are aimed at raising the standards of education and practice across the country,” he said.

Under the new rules, now graduate medical colleges will be able to start postgraduate courses from the third year. Earlier it was from the fourth year in clinical specialties, Ojha said. Existing or proposed non-teaching hospitals owned and managed by the government can start postgraduate courses without graduate colleges. He said, this will facilitate the governments to start postgraduate medical colleges in small government hospitals/district hospitals.

There will be a minimum standard requirement document which will set out the requirement of infrastructure, faculty clinical material etc. for the postgraduate institution. “All students will have to undergo courses in research methodology, ethics and cardiac life support skills,” Ojha said.

“For better implementation of these rules, there is a provision for penal provisions which include monetary penalty, reduction in the number of seats (admission capacity) or complete ban on admission,” he said. The rules continue to prohibit migration of students from one medical institution to another. Additionally, seat reservation in medical colleges for various categories will be in accordance with the laws prevailing in the States and Union Territories.

Reservation of seats will be as per the laws prevailing in the states and union territories. Five percent reservation will be for candidates with benchmark disability.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)