Medical Education in India: An Introspection
| Author | R. Kumar |
| Date | 01 January 2014 |
| Published date | 01 January 2014 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0019556120140111 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
MEDICAL EDUCATION IN INDIA: AN
INTROSPECTION
R.
KUMAR
Medical education in India is at crossroads. The age old
approach and structure
of
medical education leave much to
be desired in meeting the rising challenges, both internal and
external,
to
medical profession.
As
the challenges multiply, a
new strategy is needed
to
drive medical education
to
the next
level
of
excellence. The time has come
to
introspect whether
to continue with the medical education system and curricula
established
over
a
hundred
years
ago
or
to
take
a
fundamentally different course, guided by contemporary
innovation and new understanding about the aspirations
of
the society and demands
of
the profession. A view has
to
be
taken now
if
this paradigm
of
medical education can continue
to meet the rising challenges, both internal and external, to
medical education. An assessment
of
the prevailing situation
of
the medical
and
health care demands new approaches
towards shaping the minds, hands and hearts
of
physicians.
Fundamental change in medical education will require new
curricula, new pedagogies, attitudinal changes and new forms
of
assessment.
IN
ANY developing country with inadequate availability
of
health services,
the requirement of expertise in the areas
of
'public health' and 'family
medicine' is markedly more than the expertise required for other clinical
specialities.
In
India, the situation is that public health expertise is non-
existent in the private health sector, and far short of requirement in the
public health sector. Also, the current curriculum in the graduate/post-
graduate courses is outdated and unrelated to contemporary community
needs.
In
respect of 'family medicine', it needs to be noted that the more
talented medical graduates generally seek specialization in clinical
disciplines, while the remaining go into general practice. While the
availability
of
post-graduate educational facilities
is
50 percent of the total
number
of
qualifying graduates each year, and can be considered adequate,
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