The National Medical Commission on March 31 issued a circular on the implementation of competency-based medical education in the undergraduate medical programme, which also recommends the Maharishi Charak Shapath for students at the course's onset.

"Maharishi Charak Shapath is recommended when a candidate is introduced to medical education," the NMC said in the circular. It further said that the new competency-based medical education for undergraduate course curriculum is being implemented with the objectives of covering all three domains of learning - Cognitive, Affective and Psychomotor.

"The new course curriculum introduced in August 2019 enriched the medical students with a sound base and balanced approach to overall aspect with the introduction of foundation courses which includes Family Adoption Programme, Yoga, Meditation, Local Language adaptation and skills," reads the circular.

All medical colleges in states and UTs have been directed to implement the new course. The NMC circular mainly lists the guidelines that need to be followed because of the time redistribution for the course in the professional year of 2021-22 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The duration of the first professional course has been reduced from 14 months to 12 months. The curriculum of UG CBME will be considered from February 14, 2022, in all medical colleges across the country.

The NMC has implemented the 'Family Adoption Programme' as a part of the curriculum of community medicine which will begin from the first professional year and will remain throughout the curriculum. The Family Adoption will include villages that are not covered under PHC. Yoga training has also been recommended to be initiated during foundation courses.

Reacting to the new curriculum, Dr Rohan Krishnan, President, of the FAIMA Doctors Association, told IANS that there is nothing new in the inner structure of the curriculum.

"There are some changes academically wherein forensic medicine which was earlier taught in second Professional MBBS, will now be taught at third year and exams will be taken in third year MBBS, and field visits and community medicine which was taught in the third year will now start from the first year itself," he said.

"There seems to be lack of innovation in the curriculum as even after pandemic there are no extra time or practical skills allocations in virology, microbiology or handling of a pandemic," he added.