MCI turns down Health Ministry’s proposal to revise promotion policy


The Medical Council of India (MCI) has turned down the Union Health Ministry’s proposal to consider revision of promotion policy for postgraduate diploma holder doctors employed in medical colleges to allow them to join the teaching faculty too.


Making it clear that such a move will be in violation of the Teacher’s Eligibility Qualification Regulations, the medical education regulator body reminded the Health Ministry that as per norms diploma holders cannot be promoted beyond the post of senior resident doctor. Only those with a three-year postgraduate degree are eligible to become assistant professors, associate professors and professors, it said.

Following demand from the All-India Association of Teaching Postgraduate Diploma Doctors, the Ministry had asked the MCI to look if diploma holders can get the opportunity to be promoted as teaching staff. The Ministry was also of the opinion that the move would meet the existing shortage in the teaching faculty in various medical colleges across the States.

The association had been alleging that the doctors who have diplomas are appointed as senior resident doctors in medical colleges and they retire with the same designation at the age of 70. Because they have not obtained a postgraduate degree, they are denied promotion.

However, the Board of Governors (BoG)of the MCI in a recent meeting noted that the diploma qualification is of two years as against the postgraduate degree qualification which is of three years duration and that during PG degree course the resident have to undertake research and write thesis/dissertation, which is not required in case of diploma qualification.

“In case of postgraduate diploma, the duration of course is two years therefore the candidate possessing postgraduate diploma course do not have this mandatory experience which is notified in regulation,” an official from the MCI said.

The BoG also noted that the candidates having postgraduate diploma qualification were given advantage in case they pursue postgraduate degree course or Diplomat National Board(DNB), National Board of Examinations as they are allowed to complete degree course in two years in place of three years for MBBS students.

The BoG members also said that while there was a shortage of teaching staff in pre & para clinical subjects, there were almost negligible number of postgraduate diploma holder in such subjects except a very few in Forensic Medicine and Pathology.

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