Major changes in MBBS syllabus from next year

The Government has approved a new MBBS syllabus with major changes drawn up by the Medical Council of India (MCI) after 21 years in the 1997 curriculum that will be rolled out across the country from the next session in August.

It lays stress on the MBBS graduates being not only good doctors but also good communicators in their response to patients and their families. The focus on the student''s attitude towards the patients is a gamechanger at a time when globally relevant medical graduates are naturally expected to have empathy.

Some of the major changes include a onemonth foundation course before start of the classes and practical clinical training right from the first year instead of the second year. Another new element is introduction of the elective subjects that the students can pick up to dedicate time in specialising through selfdirected learning.

In the old syllabus, the students wasted their first year in repeating what all they had learnt in schools and colleges. The foundation course will help in transition of students who come from diverse backgrounds.

The new syllabus, titled “Competency-based UG Curriculum for the Indian Medical Graduate,” was finalised by the new board of governors of MCI. It has a course called “Attitude, Ethics and Communication (AETCOM)” which will across the years and the students will be assessed on how they communicate with patients, how they counsel people for organ donations or other challenging procedures and how sensitively do they offer care and obtain consent.