By IANS,
New Delhi : In a bid to reduce the shortage of medical faculty in the country, the union health ministry has decided to allow doctors with a degree from the Diplomate of National Board (DNB) to teach in medical colleges.
Approving the proposal of the Medical Council of India, the health ministry will now recognise the DNB degrees at par with the DM (Doctorate in Medicine), or MCh (Magister Chirurgiae) degree needed to teach medicine and surgery respectively.
In addition, DNB qualified associate professors will be treated at par with MD (Doctor of Medicine) or MS (Master of Surgery) professionals.
DNB is the degree provided by the National Board of Examinations after candidates with MBBS degree clear a prescribed examination. According to the Gazette of India, the DNB qualification is equivalent to that of MD or MS degrees.
DNB doctors were so far not allowed to practice medicine even though they were qualified to.
However, an additional year of senior residency has been recommended for a DNB doctor passing out of private or non-MCI recognised medical colleges.
Every year, there are about 25,000 medical graduates, of whom 9,000 obtain MCI-approved post-graduate degrees and about 3,000 qualify with DNB degrees.
The ministry decision will open doors for these 3,000 professionals for joining medical education as the country grapples with shortage of medical faculty.
“DNB is a very tough examination with a passing percentage of just around 15-20. Admission for DNB is given after completion of MBBS from recognised universities and candidates have to clear the national level entrance test. Therefore, this will help us adding faculty,” a health ministry official said.
Sources say the proposal was in pipeline for long, but was so far stuck as there was a stand-off between the MCI and health ministry on the issue.
The National Board of Examinations (NBE) was established in 1975 with the aim of elevating standards of post-graduate medical examinations and ensuring uniformity across the country.
The NBE became an independent autonomous body under the health and family welfare ministry in 1982. The Board has a system of accreditation of hospitals and institutions having adequate trained manpower and infrastructure for training students towards post-graduate and post-doctoral degrees of the board.