Counselling for post graduate medical admissions will be done only in online mode now and colleges will have to declare fees for each course beforehand, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has said underlining that no college will admit candidates on their own.

Medical education regulator NMC recently notified the "Post-Graduate Medical Education Regulations, 2023" according to which all rounds of counselling for all PG seats will be held on online mode by state or central counselling authorities.

There shall be common counselling for admission to post-graduate courses in medicine for all medical institutions in India solely based on the merit list of respective exams, the new regulations states.

"All rounds of counselling for all seats will be held on online mode by state or central counselling authority and no medical college/institution will admit any candidate themselves," it said.

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

Some changes in the examination system have also been introduced which include formative assessment and option of multiple-choice questions in university examinations, Dr Vijay Oza, president of Post-Graduate Medical Education Board of the NMC said.

"This is to bring objectivity in examination and match international standards," he said.

Another change has been made in the District Residency Programme (DRP) to facilitate its implementation for better training of students.

Previously, a district hospital was defined as a 100-bedded hospital. In the new regulations, the requirement has been reduced to 50 beds, Dr Oza explained.

"Under the DRP, doctors can be trained in a district hospital which shall be a functional public sector/government-funded hospital of not less than 50 beds instead of the previous requirement of 100 beds," the regulations read.

The DRP aims to train post-graduate students in district health systems and hospitals to strengthen healthcare services at the grassroots level.

According to the new regulations, once a medical college is granted permission to start PG courses or seats, the course will be treated as recognised for the purpose of registration of qualification for students.

This will solve many difficulties faced by students to register their degree after passing postgraduate examinations, Dr Oza said.

According to the new regulations, undergraduate medical colleges can start postgraduate courses from the third year now. Previously it was from the fourth year in clinical specialties.

Existing or proposed non-teaching hospitals owned and managed by government can start post graduate courses without having undergraduate colleges. This will facilitate government to start post graduate medical colleges in smaller government hospitals/district hospitals, Dr Oza said.

There will be a minimum standard requirement document which will prescribe requirement of infrastructure and faculty clinical material etc. for postgraduate institute.

All students will have to undergo courses in research methodology, ethics and cardiac life support skills. "For better implementation of these regulations, there is provision of penalty clause which includes monetary penalty, reduction in number of seats( admission capacity) or complete stoppage of admissions," the regulations stated.

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