Dr. Vikram .R. Lotwala

No Research, No promotion Policy for all Medical Colleges. The MCI ( Medical Council of India ) has made research work for promotion mandatory for all 299 medical colleges in India. According to old regulations an Assistant Professor can be promoted to Assistant Professors post after 5 years of service. The research work in these 5 years was desirable and not compulsory. Now according to new regulations the 5 year term is reduced to 4 years but there should be mandatory 2 original paper publication, without which the promotion cannot take place. The same applies to Associate Professor to Professor level promotion. 3 Years of experience as associate( previously 4 years) but mandatory 4 papers to be published. So we will have younger professors and new thoughts and insight from young blood. There are some striking facts not very well known to Medical fraternity in India, like We have largest number of medical colleges in the world. All but only 1.2% of research work in contributed by I

Continuing with the article's second part regarding the recent initiatives from Medical council of India, MCI has declared to double the Post graduates seats. MCI has revised the student - teacher ratio in thePG courses from 1:1 to 2:1 i.e 2 students under 1 professor ( Assist and Associate Professor not applicable). This move creates 4000 PG seats year 2010 onwards in Government medical colleges. For Private medical colleges 3000 seats more will be added on later date after a sincere scrutiny. This move might help in fall of private medical colleges paid or donation seats rates, which costs about 40 lacs to 1 crore. MCI plans to start new discplines like Emergency Medicine, Infectious Disease, Cardiac Anesthesia, Pediatric cardiology, Child and adolescent Psychiatry, Pulmonary Medicine, Pediatric Gastroenterology. Indeed a move in right direction.

Finally some good news from Medical council of India. Is it because of the talk of dissolving the MCI and forming a new body, we never know, but I think it has rattled MCI. Some initiatives which should be appreciated are : MCI has removed the main bottleneck by recognizing the post-graduation and other degrees of 5 specific countries viz, Us, UK, Australia , Canada and New Zealand. These move brings back 5000 NRI doctors back to India. They can tech here in Govt or Private colleges and hospitals. They can setup their own medical colleges too. MCI has went a step ahead and recognized even the working experience in the foreign land. So the professor in UK will be a professor in India too. These is a great move in the sense that not only it brings the great pool of advanced knowledge and experience in India but also the number of treating doctors. Secondly it will definitely increase the competition ( Healthy ) among various hospitals.