MUMBAI : MBBS students will soon have to undergo internship training in Ayush, along with their other postings.
A draft regulation for Compulsory Rotating Internship, 2021, released by the National Medical Commission (NMC), mentioned that a week’s training should be included in the rotational schedule in any of the Indian systems of medicine as an elective. In a welcome move, a week’s training each in any two super specialty disciplines, including cardiology, nephrology, pulmonary medicine, and medical oncology, has been included in the internship for MBBS students.
Of the 17 postings which MBBS students have to complete over a period of 12 months after graduation, 14 are mandatory and three are electives. The training in super specialty disciplines and Indian systems of medicine are among the electives. For Ayush, the NMC mentioned that interns can choose any elective from ayurveda, yoga, unani, homeopathy and Siddha Sowa Rigpa.
Sudha Shenoy, a parent representative, said internships are usually done in students’ own specialty. “This will also reduce their time spent in specialties they are expected to be trained in,” she added.
A doctor from a civic hospital said: “They should be aware of Ayush, but we hope the training will be on awareness only. There was perhaps no need to include it explicitly in the regulations,” he said. Including super specialty training in internship will give better exposure, said an intern from a government hospital.
The NMC has also recommended that students complete their internship from the same institute they graduate from, leaving no scope for transfers. Many seek transfer from private colleges to government ones for better exposure.
