Monday, Jan 19, 2009
Council’s proposal is awaiting Centre’s approval

• Amendment sought for the IMC Act, 1956
• Need to improve quality of medical education stressed

Mangalore: Medical colleges in the country will have to go for accreditation to maintain quality if the Union Government approves a proposal of the Medical Council of India (MCI) to this effect, according to its executive committee member Ved Prakash Mishra. Speaking at a workshop on “Excellence in medical education for the best health care” here, Dr. Mishra, Vice-Chancellor of Datta Meghe Institute of Medical Sciences University, Nagpur, said that the council had prepared a model of the accreditation. However, there was a problem in implementing this model. There was no provision in the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956, to accredit medical institutes. Hence, the council had sought an amendment to the Act to pave way for accrediting medical institutes, he said

The council had suggested to the Government that a national accreditation board be formed on the lines of All India Council for Technical Education to accredit medical institutes by amending the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956, he said.

The academic cell in the MCI had decided to establish a cell each at the six regional centres to train the faculty members at medical colleges. The centre of the cell would be at Delhi. It was yet to identify locations for the six regional centres. This concept would work on a three-tier model, he said. Dr. Mishra said that the council was contemplating to introduce a national-level entrance test for admission to medical institutes and a national curriculum for various medical courses. However, this proposal had not been finalised. The MCI had a separate academic cell with a full-fledged director. It had constituted 62 boards of specialities which would update the curriculum. “It is a continuous process,” he said.

S. Kantha, member, MCI, said that Dakshina Kannada alone had five medical colleges, with four in Mangalore. Hence, medical professionals should focus on achieving excellence in every branch of medicine to deliver best healthcare.

Syed Akheel Ahmed, Vice-Chancellor, Yenepoya University, said the benefits of medical research should reach the poor. Quality of water was degrading. Availability of clean drinking water to people had become a major problem. It will be a challenge for doctors to treat water-borne diseases in the coming days, he said.

Yenepoya Abdulla Kunhi, Chancellor, Yeneopya University, M. Shantharam Shetty, Vice-Chancellor, Nitte University, and S. Rangaswami, Vice-Chancellor, Sri Ramachandra University, spoke. Yenepoya Medical College, Deralakatte, had organised the workshop.