According to sources for the first time in the past 21 years, the Medical Council of India (MCI) has decided to bring about a change in the MBBS curriculum. Meanwhile the new syllabus, which will be introduced after much consideration, will incorporate more classes which will focus on mental health, public health, as well as on communication skills. Accordingly the new course will also focus on counseling patients and their relatives about organ donation.
Furthermore the new course will also have a set of ‘outcome-based’ classes including Attitude, Ethics, and Communication (AETCOM). Meanwhile AETCOM will be introduced to students’ right from their first year and aims to train students on how to communicate with patients and their relatives. Hence the new syllabus will also include a module on how to approach and counsel patients about organ donation and the benefits of the same, something which is not actively done at present.
Moreover students will also be evaluated on their ability to handle patient relations, with particular emphasis on how to handle sensitive subjects and situations as well as obtaining a patient’s consent. Further the revised syllabus is likely to be implemented from the next academic year, i.e. 2019 and hence at the time of admission, the students will also have the option of selecting the subjects they are interested in.
