MCI plans to send docs back to lecture halls

Updated on: Thursday, April 07, 2011

Medical Council of India (MCI) is all set to send doctors back to lecture halls, failing which they would lose their licence to practice.

According to new rules, to be announced, the council is planning to make it mandatory for all doctors to attend 30 hours of continuing medical education (CME) every five years, failing which their registration to practice would be suspended. The maiden national guidelines on CME Credit Hours will be unveiled at MCI’s ethical committee meeting.

Any paper published in “indexed national/ international” medical journals will entitle the author and co-author to CME Credit Hours. Doctors pursuing PG courses—like diploma, MD, MS, DNB and DM from recognised/ reputed institutions in India—will get four credit hours per year for the duration of the course. Additional credit hours will be awarded for participating in departmental and institutional activities like journal club meetings, mortality conferences etc.

Medical associations or organisations caught issuing fake certificates to doctors - claiming they attended the conferences—will be barred. CME Credit Hours will be awarded to doctors attending international conferences on submitting attendance proof. If CME is organised by a drug/ equipment company to promote its product, then it won’t be considered. Those organised by individual nursing home, hospitals and for marketing won’t get any credit.

Dr Arun Bal, chairman of MCI’s ethics committee, said, “We are ready with the national guidelines to make CME mandatory. Only Delhi, Maharashtra, Kerala, Punjab have structured guidelines for CME credits.” Also, according to him, “Methodology of claiming credits is not uniform.”

Doctors may soon have to clock 30 hours of continuing medical education every five years or lose their registration to practise, according to new rules to be announced.

MCI plans to send docs back to lecture halls

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