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The Hindu
02-08-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
How distance Ph.D.s and non-MBBS appointments are undermining India's clinical teaching standards
The slow erosion of India's medical education standards is not occurring through a single cataclysmic policy misstep, but through the quiet normalisation of appointing non‑MBBS distance Ph.D. degree holders to core teaching posts in medical colleges. For a proportion of previous and recent appointments, such non‑medical appointees reportedly completed their Ph.D. through distance or part‑time modes while simultaneously holding full‑time employment in another institute—a dual track that precludes the sustained, supervised laboratory and pedagogic immersion essential for authentic academic formation. Regulatory oversight? These distance or part‑time Ph.D. programmes are outside the regulatory purview of the National Medical Commission (NMC)—the NMC neither designs their curriculum nor directly inspects, audits, or certifies their conduct—meaning the medical education regulator has no effective control or quality oversight over the very doctoral credentials now being used to claim equivalence with clinically trained MBBS postgraduate faculty. What at first glance looks like an efficient stop‑gap to fill perceived faculty shortages is, on closer scrutiny, a dilution of the clinical, ethical, and integrative foundation on which competent physicians are built. Undergraduate medical training - the MBBS pathway is a longitudinal, immersion‑based formation: structured exposure to Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry, Pathology, Pharmacology, Microbiology, Forensic Medicine, Community Medicine, and a spectrum of clinical rotations — all under a regulated environment that binds the learner and later the practitioner to explicit professional conduct norms, licensure examinations, bedside responsibilities, interdisciplinary team communication, and patient accountability. Impacts on curriculum delivery Similarly, post graduate course is also in control of the Competency-based medical education (CBME) programme of the regulatory body, NMC. But a distance‑mode doctoral program and by Non-MBBS teachers pursued parallel to unrelated full‑time employment cannot replicate the crucible of supervised patient contact, procedural stewardship, morbidity–mortality analysis, ethical case discussions, real laboratory quality systems, and iterative assessment that shapes judgment in a medical graduate. When colleges accept individuals without this integrated clinical apprenticeship to teach foundational subjects, the curriculum fractures: facts are transmitted, but the living clinical context and safety net of tacit knowledge are thinned. Distance Ph.D. pathways—especially when undertaken concurrently with another full‑time institutional job—often emphasize dissertation completion logistics over immersive pedagogy or translational applicability. Medical Students taught under faculty whose own training was not scaffolded by mandatory clinical postings are less likely to receive the nuanced integration: how a biochemical pathway alteration manifests at the bedside, how anatomical variants complicate an emergency procedure, why microbiological resistance patterns alter antibiotic stewardship, how pharmacokinetics aligns with organ dysfunction scoring, or how physiological compensations appear in vital trend curves. The loss is cumulative and only surfaces years later in weaker differential diagnoses, fragmented reasoning on ward rounds, and diminished readiness for unforeseen public health crises. Knowing subject content Vs Pedagogy Advocates of widening the faculty pool argue that 'subject content is universal' and that any research doctorate adds scholarly depth. Scholarly depth is valuable; however, a distance or part‑time doctorate earned concurrently with full‑time service elsewhere and unanchored to continuous, verifiable lab supervision or patient‑centered clinical correlation cannot instill the reflexive safety lens essential for teaching future prescribers. Pedagogy in medical sciences is not solely the transmission of molecular cascades or histological slides; it is the curation of clinically salient emphasis—knowing which deviation matters urgently for patient outcomes and which is academic ornament. That calibration arises from lived participation in multidisciplinary rounds, mortality audits, infection control committees, transfusion reaction reviews, pharmacovigilance reporting, and real‑time management of complications. Without it, teaching risks becoming an abstract enumeration of lists, divorced from risk stratification and pragmatic triage thinking. Talent drain? A second risk vector emerges in academic ethics and assessment integrity. Distance/dual‑employment Ph.D. entrants—particularly where oversight of thesis originality, sample authenticity, ethical clearance rigor, time‑on‑task documentation, and statistical methodology is uneven—may unintentionally propagate lax standards among MBBS students observing their evaluators' citation practices or superficial engagement with updated guidelines. The message a system sends when it elevates distance, simultaneously‑employed credentials over regulated, full‑time, residency‑rooted academic progression is that experiential clinical immersion and competency‑based milestones are negotiable. This disincentivises bright MBBS graduates from pursuing teacher–scholar careers; they witness equivalence (or even preference) granted to those who bypassed the demanding crucible they endured. The talent drain that follows redirects academically gifted clinicians to corporate hospitals or overseas fellowships rather than classrooms where standards appear administratively malleable. CBME impaired? Moreover, the 'faculty shortage' justification is frequently unsubstantiated when one audits the actual pool of eligible MBBS postgraduates and junior faculty awaiting timely recruitment or promotion. Bottlenecks typically lie in delayed selection processes, unfilled sanctioned posts, opaque panels, or wage disparities—not in an absolute absence of clinically trained educators. Substituting structurally expedient distance/dual‑employment Ph.D. holders masks governance failures instead of correcting them. Long term, this misallocation impairs implementation of Competency‑Based Medical Education (CBME), which demands scenario‑based learning, early clinical exposure, skills lab mentorship, simulation debriefs, and Workplace Based Assessments—activities requiring mentors with authentic clinical anchoring and physical presence. Policy Inconsistency with CBME Implementation: Notably, in its recent gazette notifications preceding Teachers Eligibility Qualifications (TEQ) 2025, the NMC itself had reduced the permissible percentage of non‑MBBS faculty—first in Pharmacology and Microbiology, and then further in Anatomy, Physiology, and Biochemistry—explicitly citing the roll‑out of CBME and the consequent need for clinically anchored teaching. If CBME's very premise is integrated, bedside‑linked learning, what policy logic now justifies reinstating higher quotas for non‑MBBS appointees in TEQ‑2025? The reversal appears not to be evidence‑driven but expediency‑driven, undermining the pedagogic rationale NMC advanced barely a year earlier. Questioning the Rationale for re‑inclusion: When the regulator had already acknowledged that MBBS‑trained faculty are essential for CBME's success—and when postgraduate (MD/MS) doctors in these subjects are increasingly available—why reopen the door for Non-MBBS distance/part‑time Ph.D. holders outside NMC oversight? This about‑turn demands transparent disclosure of: (a) the data sets reviewed, (b) stakeholder consultations conducted, and (c) the projected impact on CBME outcomes that purportedly justify this shift. Call for Evidence and Transparency: TEQ‑2025 should therefore be compelled to publish a comparative impact assessment: What measurable deficits arose from the reduced non‑MBBS percentages that necessitated their resurgence? Absent such data, the move appears to legitimize administrative shortcuts rather than solve genuine faculty gaps. If quality was the stated reason to decrease non‑MBBS representation earlier, quality cannot simultaneously be the reason to increase it now. Research culture also suffers. Foundational departments steward antimicrobial stewardship, pharmacogenomics, molecular pathology validation, high‑throughput clinical biochemistry quality assurance, public health surveillance analytics, and emerging biomarker translation. Faculty whose doctorates were accumulated in distance modes while employed full time elsewhere may generate publication counts, but translational relevance, patient safety nuance, and interdisciplinary collaboration depth often lag, shrinking institutional capacity to contribute meaningfully to national health priorities (antimicrobial resistance containment, rational drug use, outbreak analytics, non‑communicable disease biomarker validation). Regulatory complacency over equivalence invites proliferation of marginal institutes offering distance doctoral products to meet 'demand,' inflating a supply of paper‑qualified yet clinically unseasoned aspirants and accelerating a downward feedback loop. The absence of NMC oversight over these distance Ph.D. courses further compounds the risk: no centralized standards for laboratory infrastructure, ethical review rigor, or supervisor–student ratios are enforced, allowing uneven quality to masquerade as equivalent scholarship. Medical Students—the most vulnerable stakeholders—may initially remain unaware. Pass percentages can stay superficially stable if examinations overemphasize recall. Yet internship supervisors will perceive weaker synthesis skills; postgraduate entrance outcomes may reveal deteriorating performance in integrated reasoning segments; patient safety indicators may subtly decline. By the time alarms are undeniable, affected cohorts cannot retroactively receive authentic mentorship. Preventive action is therefore imperative now. Who ensures quality? Policy and governance imperatives: Reaffirm that core preclinical and paraclinical teaching posts must be held by MBBS graduates with requisite postgraduate degrees and documented full‑time academic engagement; disallow acceptance of distance/part‑time Ph.D.s pursued concurrently with other full‑time employment as equivalently qualifying for these posts—especially noting that such courses are presently outside NMC regulation and control; mandate transparent, third‑party audited logs of laboratory presence, ethical approvals, raw data provenance, and supervisor sign‑offs for any doctoral work considered in faculty selection; It should also be required that every faculty member's doctoral credentials are screened and vetted by the NMC or its designated authority—recognising that to date there has been no systematic screening of non‑MBBS appointees who completed distance Ph.D.s while employed full time in Indian medical colleges; realign promotion criteria toward educational innovation, validated clinical–research integration, mentorship hours, and ethical scholarship instead of mere credential accumulation; and accelerate timely recruitment of clinically grounded educators through streamlined selection panels, competitive retention packages, and structured pedagogical upskilling. Medical education is a national trust. Diluting its human resource standards by normalising distance, dual‑employment Ph.D. credentials for core teaching posts—credentials produced in courses that the NMC does not directly regulate—risks manufacturing future practitioners less prepared for complex, resource‑constrained, ethically intricate healthcare realities. India's demographic scale, epidemiological dual burden, and aspirational global health leadership demand the opposite: uncompromising reinforcement of clinically rooted academic excellence. Reversing this quiet slide—especially the pattern where most non‑medical entrants secured distance doctorates alongside full‑time external jobs beyond NMC oversight—protects both the competence and the conscience of tomorrow's healers. If CBME demanded fewer non‑MBBS teachers yesterday, how does the same CBME demand more of them today—without any new evidence on learning outcomes? (Dr. Anoop Singh Gurjar is the General Secretary, All India Pre and Para Clinical Medicos Association (AIPCMA) and a member of Rajasthan Medical Council)
Hans India
15-07-2025
- Health
- Hans India
IIT Delhi launches MRI research facility to foster innovation in medical imaging
New Delhi: The Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) announced the launch of a cutting-edge Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) research facility to boost innovations in medical imaging. Established under the Institute of Eminence (IoE) initiative, the facility is equipped with a 1.5 Tesla clinical-grade MRI scanner. It is the first of its kind among leading engineering and technology institutions in India, dedicated exclusively to research and teaching. Unlike conventional MRI setups embedded within hospital ecosystems, this facility is designed to foster unrestricted innovation in medical imaging, particularly in the field of MRI. This facility will enable cutting-edge research in various areas across applications in MR imaging, including the development of new contrast agents, acquisition sequences, optimisation of imaging protocols, development of MR-compatible devices, and integration of artificial intelligence in image processing. 'This new research MRI facility will enable research and innovation in imaging and support IIT Delhi's efforts to create new knowledge at the interface of science, engineering, and medicine to make an impact in healthcare,' said Prof. Rangan Banerjee, Director of IIT Delhi. Located within the Centre for Biomedical Engineering (CBME) at IIT Delhi, the facility will initially support research using phantoms and, with appropriate regulatory approvals, will extend to clinical studies involving volunteers. It will also serve as a hands-on training platform for students enrolled in IIT Delhi medical imaging courses, enhancing their practical exposure to advanced imaging technologies. According to CBME's Prof. Anup Singh and Prof. Amit Mehndiratta, who led this visionary initiative, the dream to establish such a facility 'was visualised five years ago'. The facility will offer a new dimension to teaching and learning in medical imaging at the varsity. It was initiated on July 9 and the first MRI safety session was conducted by the B-MEC Imaging Pvt. Ltd., who installed the MRI scanner. 'This advanced imaging facility will help several researchers from different disciplines at IIT Delhi. This will also open up several opportunities for research collaborations with medical institutes in NCR and across India,' said Prof. Vivek Buwa, Dean of Planning, IIT Delhi.
News18
17-05-2025
- Business
- News18
IIT Delhi Launches 3 PG Diploma Courses For Students, Professionals; Check Details
Last Updated: The IIT Delhi new PG Diploma programmes Healthcare Product Development and Management, EV Technology, Advanced Communication Engineering with Quantum and AI Integration. IIT Delhi has launched three online Post Graduate Diploma programmes in Healthcare Product Development and Management, Electric Vehicle (EV) Technology and Advanced Communication Engineering with Quantum and AI Integration for students and professionals. The programmes will witness interactive online sessions conducted by IIT Delhi's distinguished faculty in collaboration with leading industry experts, the institute said. The three programmes will offer affiliate alumni status from IIT Delhi. PG Diploma in Healthcare Product Development and Management: The 12-month programme is offered by the Centre for Biomedical Engineering (CBME), IIT Delhi, and is designed to equip professionals with the technical expertise and multidisciplinary capabilities needed to design, develop, and bring to market transformative healthcare solutions. The curriculum comprises biomedical innovation, regulatory science, product lifecycle management, and commercial strategy. There will be an optional two-day campus immersion to enrich networking and academic exchange. This programme is particularly suitable for professionals with backgrounds in biomedical engineering, biotechnology, healthcare, life sciences, or medicine who are looking to pivot their careers into healthcare R&D, product management, or regulatory domains. It is also open to candidates with relevant undergraduate or postgraduate degrees or those with a minimum of two years of industry experience in allied fields. The 12-month programme is designed for engineers, technologists, entrepreneurs, and working professionals. It will engage students in three immersive on-campus experiences at IIT Delhi. It will also offer industry insights from esteemed IIT Delhi faculty, peer networking with like-minded professionals, and work on advanced industry-relevant research problems. PG Diploma in Advanced Communication Engineering with Quantum and AI Integration: To be offered by the Bharti School of Telecommunication Technology and Management at IIT Delh, this course brings together three transformative technologies—Artificial Intelligence (AI), Quantum Networking and Advanced Wireless Communications. This one-year online programme offers is available to graduates from fields such as Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE), Electrical Engineering (EE), Computer Science (CSE), Information Technology (IT), Data Science, Mathematics, or Applied Physics, who have the required professional experience. Graduates of the programme can expect to be equipped for key roles such as Quantum Communication Engineers, AI & ML Specialists in Telecom, 5G/6G Network Engineers, and Cybersecurity Experts specialising in quantum-safe infrastructures. Speaking about the launch of the online PG Diploma programmes, Prof. Rangan Banerjee, Director, IIT Delhi, said, 'At IIT Delhi, we remain committed to expanding access to world-class education and driving innovation across emerging fields. The launch of our Online Post Graduate Diploma Programmes marks a significant step in this direction. These programmes are designed to equip professionals with the knowledge, skills, and interdisciplinary insights required to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time."
Time of India
05-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Bridging the Gap: How Technology is Reshaping Medical Education in India
Lucknow: India's medical education system is undergoing a profound transformation. This shift extends beyond digitisation to encompass pedagogy, faculty roles, and institutional strategy, driven by national policy reforms, evolving student expectations, and technological advancements. At Elsevier's Leadership Dialogue in Lucknow, prominent medical educators agreed: the future of medical education lies in personalised, digitally enabled, and faculty-led ecosystems. Why medical learning must change, fast India has more than doubled its number of medical colleges, MBBS seats, and postgraduate seats in the past decade. From 387 medical colleges in 2014, the number has surged to over 660 today, along with a >100 per cent increase in PG and MBBS seats. With the growing scale, quality, engagement, and outcomes must evolve. National reforms like the NMC's competency-based medical education (CBME) model and the National Education Policy (NEP) are pushing institutions to move away from rote learning toward real-world, skill-based outcomes. That shift requires not only new methods of teaching but entirely new ways of thinking. ' This isn't just about replacing chalk with screens ,' one participant noted. ' It's about changing the very fabric of how doctors are trained .' Students are changing - their learning must too Medical students today are digital natives. They are fluent in visual content, mobile platforms, and modular learning. They expect instant access, interactivity, and personalisation. ' Students want something like fast food, ' said Dr. Rajan Bhatnagar from Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences. ' Quick, repeatable, and on their own terms .' Platforms like ClinicalKey Student offer this flexibility, allowing students to explore verified medical content anytime. Anywhere. Paired with Osmosis, which delivers short-form video explainers, and Complete Anatomy, a 3D interactive anatomical platform, students can reinforce learning in formats that mirror how they consume content outside the classroom. These tools digitise learning whilst making it smarter, visual, and more engaging. Empowering faculty remains crucial for reform Yet, as pedagogy evolves, faculty face increasing pressure. They're expected to master new platforms, redesign lesson plans, track student performance digitally, and stay updated with rapidly changing medical knowledge, and that too, often without dedicated training or technical support. ' Children are smarter than us with tech, ' said Dr. Momal Mishra, from Hind Institute of Medical Sciences, Sitapur. ' We need structured training to catch up. Many teachers still don't know how to integrate these tools meaningfully .' Connectivity gaps in rural colleges, resistance to change, and time constraints only deepen the challenge. As Dr. Saurabh Pal, from AIIMS Raebarelli put it, ' Unless the faculty is oriented and confident, digital tools will remain underutilised. Orientation isn't optional anymore, it's foundational. ' This is where Elsevier plays a crucial role in bridging the gap through focussed workshops for faculty, empowering them with the right tools and strategies for implementation. Elsevier's Leadership Dialogue was one such initiative that emphasized the importance of supporting educators and enhancing their proficiency and confidence in using new technologies. The library as a learning ecosystem Once a quiet corner for books and journals, the library is now the front line of digital enablement. At King George's Medical University, Dr. Divya Narain Upadhyaya from King George's Medical University has seen this shift first-hand. ' Libraries have evolved into digital access points. Students no longer visit to find books…they come for quiet study, while accessing e-journals and platforms remotely. Space constraints no longer limit resource access .' The blend of digital and physical with the core textbooks in print, research and reference in e-form, it is becoming the norm across institutions. Co-creating the future of medical education At the Leadership Dialogue, Elsevier demonstrated how its platforms such as ClinicalKey Student, Osmosis, and Complete Anatomy, can be embedded seamlessly into everyday teaching. More importantly, the event positioned Elsevier not just as a content provider, but as a long-term partner to academic institutions. ' Innovation in education is not about replacing teachers, ' said Dr. Navbir Pasricha from Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences. ' It's about empowering them to teach better, with verified sources, multimedia tools, and trusted platforms .' Redefining medical learning together As the Dialogue made clear, transforming medical education is not a solo journey. It requires coordination between policymakers, institutions, faculty, and solution partners like Elsevier. From AI-enabled content discovery to simulation-based anatomy learning, the tools exist. The challenge now is building faculty capacity, infrastructure, and mindsets to match. ' We're not just digitising content, ' concluded Dr. Shally Awasthi from Dr. KNS Memorial Institute of Medical Sciences. ' We're redefining what it means to teach and to learn, and that's the real opportunity. ' The Elsevier Leadership Dialogue was held on April 5, 2025, in Lucknow, bringing together senior medical educators to explore the future of digitally enabled learning. The event featured interactive sessions and product demonstrations, and was supported by ETHealthworld as the media partner. Disclaimer - The above content is non-editorial, and ET Healthworld hereby disclaims any and all warranties, expressed or implied, relating to it, and does not guarantee, vouch for or necessarily endorse any of the content.
CairoScene
30-04-2025
- Health
- CairoScene
Kasr Al Ainy to Launch French-Language Medical Programme in 2025
Curricula for the first two years have been fully translated into French, with third-year materials nearing completion. Apr 30, 2025 Cairo University's Kasr Al Ainy Medical School will introduce a French-language MBBS programme in the 2025/26 academic year, its first offering tailored for Francophone African and Mediterranean students. The five-year programme, approved under Egypt's Ministry of Higher Education and university leadership, follows competency-based medical education (CBME) standards aligned with national guidelines (NARS 2017). Curricula for the first two years have been fully translated into French, with third-year materials nearing completion. A 2023 SWOT analysis identified 90 faculty members fluent in French, later expanded to 150 through intensive training with Cairo University's French Department. An oversight committee, formed in October 2023 and chaired by Professor Nadine Alaa Sharif, has finalised academic regulations and assessment frameworks combining formative evaluations and e-portfolios. The initiative, part of Kasr Al Ainy's strategic expansion since 2023, aims to strengthen ties with French-speaking African nations, particularly in the Nile Basin. The historic medical school, founded in 1827, currently trains approximately 12,000 students annually.
