National Medical Council decision could affect treatment of differently abled: WRO

NMC's decision to exclude physical medicine from MBBS curriculum criticized by Wheelchair Rights Organisation for neglecting differently abled patients.

The National Medical Council (NMC) has backed out of its decision to include Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in the MBBS curriculum. The Wheelchair Rights Organisation (WRO) has questioned the decision on grounds that it will lead to a generation of doctors who are ill equipped to treat the differently abled people.

“This batch of doctors will not be aware of the problems faced by differently abled people and their treatment and hence incompetent to deal with it, which is not good news for us,” said Bavish Bal Thamarassery, president of WRO.

The NMC had included Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation along with Respiratory Medicine and Emergency Medicine in the curriculum and came out with a stipulation that only those medical colleges that have these departments can enrol students for the MBBS programme. However, it backed out of the decision due to reasons unknown, though the WRO alleges that the NMC was guarding the interests of a section of people.

“This has led to a serious crisis in the medical education sector as well as among patients confined to wheelchairs, as the NMC was yet to provide a satisfactory explanation to this,” Mr. Bavish Bal explained.

With this decision, a generation of doctors will not study or be aware of ailments like paralysis, stroke or spinal injury.

“Various organisations of the differently abled were trying to pressurise the Governments to improve the physical medicine and rehabilitation segment, with the number of patients who require the services on the rise. But this decision of the NMC will adversely affect such moves,” Mr. Bavish Bal added.