Call Ayush docs as MS-Shalyatantra, not MS-general surgery: Sen to NMC

New Delhi: The Union Health Ministry, which is the custodian of the National Medical Commission (NMC), has been asked to rectify extra "privileges" granted to Union Health Secretary who is portrayed as next to Chairman of NMC despite the fact the Secretary is not even a member of the NMC as per sections 3,4 and 8 of the commission.

The assurance in this regard was given to Dr Santanu Sen during the first meeting of Medical Advisory Council of the NMC that held on Friday after the constitution of NMC in 2019. At the meeting, Dr Sen, who is a TMC MP in Rajya Sabha and president of West Bengal Medical Council, criticised the notification of Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM) regarding Ayush doctors doing surgery being designated as a general surgeon.

Dr Sen, who is a member of the Medical Advisory Council, suggested the council that the Ayush doctors should be called MS (Shalyatantra) and not MS (General Surgery) as it can only be used by doctors of modern medicine. Being a custodian of doctors of modern medicine, the NMC should give a proposal to the government in this regard, Sen suggested at the crucial meeting. However, Dr Sen also suggested that the Centre should promote an individual system of medicine rather than promoting mixopathy.

"There should be a stipulated time bar to complete MBBS course so that if any student cannot pass within a certain number of attempts, then the students may get a scope to join other streams," he said at the meeting.

The other important suggestions made by Dr Sen at the meeting include, required percentile in NEET UG exam should not be made very low to give value to merit; one should get that additional qualification only from a recognised Institution; apart from those two months of rural internship, the students should be allowed to have their other 10 months' of internship at their parent institutions and foreign medical graduates must go through a one-year compulsory rotational internship within India.

He also suggested creation of a separate course IMS (Indian Medical Service) for administration cadres on the lines of as IAS and IPS, giving importance to family physicians programme, time-bound promotion and permission to open new medical colleges should be given only after physical inspection.

The Council has appreciated all the proposals of Dr Sen and assurance of doing the needful has also been given to him.