The Great white lie                                                                                                                                June 1, 2015

News today is that Government concerned over quality of medical graduates plans to start an exit exam for MBBS doctors. That the "Government is concerned over the quality of its doctors" is the greatest lie told by any politician ever. Why I call this the greatest lie I will elaborate. By MBBS doctors I assume the Government means those who are registered in State Medical Council or Medical Council of India after duly obtaining 4 1/2 year plus 1 year compulsory internship training in MCI approved colleges / hospitals.

These MBBS doctors had been fraudulently coaxed to join their course given to believe that only after completion of MBBS can they practice modern medicine. However after 8-10 years when these students come into practice they realize that modern medicine in India can be practiced by any Tom Dick and Ram Dulari. Why then they rightly ask did they have to undergo such hardship of doing MBBS ?

We have illiterate woman giving injections to treat stroke, we have all kinds of "roadside orthopaedicians" , we have 10th class pass , 1 month trained (by Govt) army of modern medicine experts desired by health minister in punjab, we have electrohomeopathy which is sought to be legalized by union Government, besides the BSc Community Heath and other qualified AYUSH practitioners who are legally (in some states) permitted to practice modern medicine and all its specializations. If our Government was concerned QUALITY in its doctors of modern medicine I am sure it would have put a ban on quackery in all forms a long time ago. Since it has not done so I can safely assume that the Government is lying when it claims it is concerned over the quality of those who practice modern medicine.

A comparison is drawn with the advocates who have to give an exit exam after their LLB before being registered by Bar Council. Be as it may the fact remains the MBBS course already is the toughest course among all professional courses.Stress level and suicide rates among medical students is already extraordinarily high. Why increase this further ? All MBBS doctors undertake the Post Graduate entrance test anyway after their final prof MBBS. Why another exam has to be interpolated between this and the MBBS final Prof exam defies logic. Comparison with advocates for this reason does not make sense because all advocates do not undertake a common all India standardized post graduate entrance exam.

Since we have established that Government is unconcerned about the quality of its qualified healers what then could be the motive for the exit exam sought to be imposed. My suspicion is that it is mainly being sought to benefit the private medical colleges most of which are owned by the very politicians who seek this new exam. MCI acting as a willing puppet gives recognition to these colleges to enroll students and this exit exam will give it an option to wash its hands off the quality of the product. Maybe there will be more money to be made in training MBBS graduates on how to pass the exit exam.

Dr Neeraj Nagpal
Convenor, Medicos Legal Action Group
Ex President IMA Chandigarh
09316517176 e mail; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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