20 days of paid leave, NExT exam, parity in stipends: NMC regulations on PG medicine

NEW DELHI: Postgraduate medical students will now be able to avail a minimum 20 days of paid leave (casual leave) per year, colleges will have to provide residential accommodation to PG students and the stipend of all PG students will be on par with that at state or central government medical colleges. These are among the provisions in the National Medical Commission (NMC)’s “Post-Graduate Medical Education Regulations, 2023”, or “PGMER-23”.

On September 6 last year, NMC had invited comments from the stakeholders on draft guidelines issued for postgraduate medical courses. In the draft guidelines, NMC had also said that the National Eligibility Entrance Test for Postgraduate (NEET PG) 2024 tentative date according to which, if it is held, will be scheduled for March 2024.

The NMC, after considering the comments, suggestions and feedback of various stakeholders and detailed in-house discussions, unveiled what it describes as “groundbreaking reforms in post-graduate medical education, aimed at fostering quality, ethical practice, and inclusivity within the medical fraternity”. The PGMER-23 regulations were published in the official gazette on December 29, 2023 and uploaded on NMC website on January 3, 2023.

These reforms encompass various critical aspects of post-graduate medical training and aim to enhance the standards of education and practice nationwide, NMC said in a press release on Wednesday.

Postgraduate medical courses

According to the new regulations, there will be six types of postgraduate medical courses with different durations.

* In postgraduate broad-speciality qualifications, the period of training, including the period of examination will be two years for the students who possess a recognised two-year postgraduate diploma course in the same subject.

According to new NMC regulations, the eligibility to pursue a postgraduate broad-speciality course in medicine will be as per “NMC, National Exit Test Regulations, 2023”. However, until the first batch writes the National Exit Test (NExT) and becomes eligible for admission in broad-speciality courses, the existing system of admission through the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Postgraduate (NEET-PG), as per Post-Graduate Medical Education Regulation, 2000 (PGIMER-2000), will continue.

The National Exit Test (NExT) is supposed to replace the NEET PG exam and was initially scheduled to be conducted next year for the current MBBS batch, by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS Delhi). However, NMC postponed the exam till further notice on the advice of the ministry of health and family welfare.

Admission in super-speciality courses in medicine will be based on the scores secured by candidates in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Super-Speciality (NEET-SS) conducted by NMC or may designate multiple agencies to conduct NEET-SS if such designation suits the purpose.

NEET PG counselling

There will be common counselling for admission to postgraduate courses in medicine for all medical institutions in India solely based on the merit list of respective exams. All rounds of counselling for all seats will be held online by state or central counselling authority and no medical college will admit any candidate themselves.

While entering details in the seat matrix, medical colleges will have to mention the amount of fees for each course, failing which seat will not be counted.

“For admission to broad-specialty postgraduate courses in medicine in medical institutions, the central government or its designated authority shall be the counselling agency for the All-India quota seats and the concerned state government or U.T. administration shall be the counselling agency for the respective state or union territory quota of seats. For all the seats in the super-speciality courses, the central government or its designated authority shall be the counselling agency,” according to PGMER-23 regulations.

Penalty for breaching PGMER-23

Medical institutions granting admission to any student in contravention of PGIMER-23 regulations will be fined Rs 1 crore per seat for non-compliance. No student finally designated to a medical institution will be permitted migration to any other medical institution.

“For any subsequent non-compliance or continued contravention, the medical institution shall be barred from granting admissions to any student in the subject for a minimum two academic years from the next academic year. Provided further that such students admitted in contravention of this mandate shall be discharged from the medical college and double the number of seats shall be reduced for one or more years,” NMC said.

The reservation of seats in medical colleges for respective categories shall be as per applicable laws prevailing in states and Union Territories (UT). Plus, 5% seats of annual sanctioned intake capacity in government or government-aided higher educational institutions shall be filled up by candidates with benchmark disabilities, as per the provisions of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. Admission will be based on the merit list of NExT or NEET-PG.

Also read NMC reopens portal for submitting details of PG students admitted in academic session 2023-24

Expansion and PG medical seats

Now, medical colleges can apply for permission to start PG medical courses one year after getting permission to start a UG course (during the second year of the undergraduate course). Existing or proposed non-teaching hospitals owned and managed by the government can start postgraduate courses without having undergraduate college, provided they fulfill the relevant norms, regulations and guidelines issued by NMC.

“Once a medical college has been granted permission to start or increase PG seats, all such PG courses or seats will be treated as recognised for the purpose of registration of qualification. This will facilitate students in getting their additional qualifications registered without facing any hurdle which they do at present,” NMC said.

Medical colleges may apply to the Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) of NMC for permission to convert diploma seats into degree seats. If they do, the colleges can’t seek permission to start or increase diploma seats.

According to the union health ministry, there is an increase of 127% in PG medical seats from 31,185 before 2014 to 70,674 as of now.

PG Medical: Syllabus and training

The PGMER-23 mandates the establishment of “academic cells” under the chairmanship of a senior faculty member, who will monitor the implementation of training programmes in each speciality and ensure its quality as mandated by the PGMEB.

All postgraduate students will work as full-time resident doctors and will work for reasonable working hours and will be provided reasonable time for rest in a day. All broad-speciality and super-speciality students will do thesis related research and will write thesis.

According to new regulations, postgraduate students of broad and super-speciality degree courses will maintain a “dynamic e-log book” which needs to be updated on a weekly basis about the work being carried out by them and the training programme undergone during the period of training.

“MS or MCh students will mandatorily enter details of surgical procedures assisted or done independently. It will be the duty of the postgraduate guide imparting the training to assess and authenticate monthly the record (e-Log) books,” NMC said.

District residency programme and stipend

All post-graduate students pursuing MD or MS in broad-specialties will undergo a compulsory residential rotation (District Residency Programme or DRP) of three months in district hospitals as a part of the course curriculum. This will take place in the third, fourth or fifth semester of the programme.

The district residents will continue to draw full stipend from their respective medical colleges for the duration of the rotation. District authorities will keep track of attendance and report.

“Satisfactory completion of the district residency shall be an essential condition before the candidate is allowed to appear in the final examination of the respective postgraduate course,” according to new NMC regulations. The stipend will be equivalent to what is paid by the state or central government medical institutions.

Apart from 20 days of paid leave per year, PG medical students will be allowed one weekly holiday and academic paid leave of five days per year.

“Female postgraduate students will be allowed maternity leave as per existing government rules and regulations. Male postgraduate students shall be allowed paternity leave as per existing government rules and regulations,” PGMER-23 regulations said.

Dr. Yogender Malik, member, Ethics and Medical Registration Board and head of NMC’s media division, said: “The comprehensive reforms outlined in the PGMER-23 mark a pivotal moment in ensuring the highest standards of medical education in our country. These regulations underscore our commitment to nurturing a proficient and ethical healthcare workforce. We aim to enhance the educational landscape, emphasizing inclusivity and competence among future medical professionals.”