Medical education set to get a quality boost

The Central Government has finally decided to recognise postgraduate degrees such as Fellow of Royal College of Surgeons and Member of Royal College of Physicians. Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss’ announcement recently at a function in Chennai has been widely welcomed by senior doctors.

Doctors feel that the move will bring in the much needed expertise and will also mean replicating the examples of other countries and improving the quality of medical education in India. Doctors also call for better regulations to ensure mishaps are reduced.

Advantage

FRCS and MRCP are equivalent of master’s degree in medicine and surgery given by Indian medical universities. The announcement will mean that Indian doctors who have additional qualifications from English-speaking countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Singapore will now be considered qualified to practise in India. The move is expected to be reciprocal with these countries also recognising Indian degrees, says A. Rajasekaran, president, National Board of Examinations, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, New Delhi. Dr. Rajasekaran is himself a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons.

Recognition

In 1978, after England de-recognised Indian medical degrees, India reciprocated by de-recognising the FRCS and MRCP. Thus Indian doctors who studied abroad for these degrees were not considered to have special qualifications by Indian doctors, professional medical bodies and the Indian Government.

The reason for de-recognition of Indian degrees was because of a fall in the standards in medical education. “This move (of recognising) will mean opening the gates to government hospitals,” says Rajan Santhosham, former head of cardio-thoracic department, Government General Hospital, Chennai. He has been examiner in India and abroad for FRCS and is a teaching faculty of the Royal College of Surgeons in Hong Kong. The Royal College of Surgeons admitted Dr. Rajan as fellow during his tenure at the GH.

Though not recognised by the Government, corporate hospitals have absorbed doctors with foreign postgraduate degrees. Senior doctors say the Government’s move would mean that experienced doctors would return to India instead of seeking employment in Malaysia and other middle-eastern countries. Initially, the move would mean more doctors would be absorbed by private medical colleges and universities. Senior medical professionals believe the move will also percolate to government teaching hospitals.

Rules for regularisation

Senior professionals say it is time for laying down rules for medical practice too. “Many of our students have no opening abroad. We have to become international [in our outlook]. Our postgraduate institutions are of varying standards unlike in the U.S. or the U.K. These countries have rigid laws about who can perform a surgery, but in our country a person with an M.B.B.S. degree can take up an open heart surgery though they do not do such a thing,” points out Dr. Rajan.

G. Balakrishnan, former head of Plastic Surgery Department at Government Stanley Hospital is currently involved in research and calls for focus on research. “In smaller countries, visiting doctors like me can do research in laboratories with ease,” he says, calling for an end to bureaucracy that makes research difficult to pursue in India. “We need state-of-the-art cadaver research laboratories so that students and researchers can benefit. Our PGs and surgeons should be encouraged to write research papers,” he says.