Mumbai: Students aspiring to be doctors will have a new syllabus for the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) course from August this year.
The Medical Council of India (MCI) has released a new curriculum for the Undergraduate (UG) MBBS programme based on competency and practical learning. Skills, ethics, attitude, response towards patients and emphasis on practical applications for diagnosis and treatment are major focus areas of the new curriculum.
The new curriculum will help students and teachers to enhance their communication skills with patients, develop scientific temper towards the community and accept accountability, according to the MCI. Medical professionals and teachers claimed this change of curriculum will help improve the course and improve its efficiency rate.
Dr Mayank Shah, a physician and visiting faculty said, “Students need to be competent as medicine is a field which is constantly evolving facing new levels of competitions. Medical research, diagnosis and treatment needs upgradation of skills with change of time as it will help students to become efficient professionals.”
Students and parents have welcomed this change claiming the new curriculum was the need of the hour. Sudha Shenoy, representative of medical parents’ association, said, “This new curriculum focuses on practical applications of the course rather than theory.
Students need to learn how to apply what they learn because they have to ultimately treat patients as doctors in the future.” This curriculum was being discussed and formulated since the last two years. Parents and medical professionals had given their suggestions to the MCI for some changes. Shenoy added, “We are glad the MCI has accepted some of our suggestions.
Large number of topics which are not necessary have been deleted in this new curriculum.” The new curriculum will be applicable for students admitted in the first year of MBBS course from August 2019. The students who are currently pursuing the course will continue with the old curriculum.
