Page 22 - EW Oct 2023
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Education News



         teaching one textbook at the start of   provided that the medical college
         the academic year and soon, there is a   shall follow the ratio of 100 MBBS
         revision, and they are asked to teach   seats for every 10 lakh population in
         something else. That’s why teachers   that state/UT,” states the notifica-
         should not  rely solely  on textbooks   tion.
         but use other resources to achieve    Currently, the number of medical
         curricular goals. Unfortunately, this   seats available annually across
         is not feasible in government schools   Tamil Nadu’s 74 medical colleges —
         where teachers are complacent and   government, deemed and private,
         poorly trained. Therefore, state gov-  included — is 11,500. This means
         ernments have a great responsibility   the state will not be able to add
         to desist from constantly meddling   more seats, or open new medical
         with textbooks content. We hope the   colleges as it has already crossed
         new TRC will focus on ensuring that   the mark. The NMC notification
         government school children have ac-  has two outcomes. First, it caps the
         cess to best quality texts,” says Prof.   number of MBBS students’ annual
         A.S. Seetharamu, former professor   intake at 150. Henceforth, LOPs
         of education, Institute of Social & Eco-  will be granted to medical colleges
         nomic Change, Bengaluru.         whose annual intake is 50/100/150.
           This might be wishful thinking. Be-  Colleges applying for an intake of
         cause the new TRC has been given a   more than 150 per year will not be
         mere three months to revise textbooks   granted a licence. Second, it has
         of four grades. Moreover the word is   decreed the ratio of one medical
         that the top priority of the TRC is to   seat/student for 10 lakh (10,00,000)   dds Dr. K. Kolandasamy,
         cleanse next year’s textbooks of hindu-  population in every state. Tamil   Aformer Director of Public Health
         tva ideology and content of the ousted   Nadu (pop.67 million) which   and Preventive Medicine in the state
         BJP government.                  currently has an annual intake of   government: “Within Tamil Nadu,
               Reshma Ravishanker (Bengaluru)  155 students per 10 lakh population    there are six districts — Tenkasi,
                                          won’t be permitted to establish new   Perungalur, Kanchipuram, Ranipet,
           TAMIL NADU                     medical colleges, public or private in   Mayiladuthurai, and Tirupathur
         Control mindset                  the near future.                 — which do not have any medical
                                            Although the gazette notifica-
                                                                           college. To access medical education,
                                          tion doesn’t give the rationale of the   aspiring students from these districts
               state in which public demand   order, according to NMC sources, its   have to travel to other districts. So,
               for (allopathy) medical    purpose is to ensure uniform distri-  one medical college per district is
         A practitioner qualifications    bution of medical practitioners coun-  essential. Rather than putting a cap,
         is arguably highest countrywide, an   trywide. “Tamil Nadu has more than   the policy should be to encourage
         August 16 notification of the Nation-  1,80,000 registered doctors of whom   private participation in establish-
         al Medical Commission has caused   1,50,000 are still practicing. The rec-  ing medical colleges in India rather
         widespread dismay.               ommended ratio is 1:1,000 and we   than push entrepreneurs to faraway
            Under NMC’s Extraordinary     already have 1:600,” Dr. K. Sent-  lands. The restrictions have been
         Gazette Notification wordily titled   hil, President of the TN Government   introduced to ensure that resources
         ‘Guidelines for Undergraduate    Doctors Association, explained to a   are adequately distributed. But it’s
         Courses under the Establishment of   Times of India correspondent (TOI,   equally important that the quality of
         New Medical Institutions, Starting   September 22).               medical education is good.”
         of New Medical Courses, Increase of   Unsurprisingly, this notification   Self-evidently, the justification for
         Seats for Existing Courses & Assess-  has annoyed medical practitioners   issuing this notification is flimsy and
         ment and Rating Regulations, 2023’,   and educationists in the state which   reflects the control-and-command
         medical colleges shall follow the ratio   is emerging as an international   mindset of the Union government
         of 100 MBBS seats for every 10 lakh   centre for medical tourism. “Public   dominated NMC. It may well be
         population in that state or Union ter-  health is a state subject and when   legally challenged on the ground that
         ritory (UT)’. “Letters of Permission   a state feels it needs more medical   it is in contravention of the right of
         (LOP) for starting new medical col-  colleges, it should be encouraged,”   citizens to conduct their business in
         leges will be issued only for annual   says Manickavel Arumugum, a   any part or state of India.
         intake capacity of 50/100/150 seats,   Chennai-based career counselor.     Shivani Chaturvedi (Chennai)

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