Natl Med J India
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Emergency medicine (EM) has recently been recognized as a specialty in India and formal training programmes are yet to be developed. ⋯ Recently graduated physicians found flaws in the current state of emergency care in India; however, overall they remain interested in the field of EM.
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In spite of the existence of a dual system of postgraduation, one under the Medical Council of India (MCI) and the other on a parallel track under the National Board of Examinations, postgraduate medical education in India is beset with several problems. For example, the curriculum has not been revised comprehensively for several decades. The diploma course under the MCI has become unpopular and is largely a temporary refuge for those who do not get admission to degree courses. ⋯ After an extensive review of the lacunae in the present system, the needs at various levels and the pattern of postgraduate education in other countries, it was felt that a competency-based model of a 2-year postgraduate course across all specialties, the use of offsite facilities for training and a criterion-based evaluation system entailing continuous monitoring would go a long way to correct some of the deficiencies of the existing system. The details of the proposal and its merits are outlined for wider discussion and to serve as a feedback to the regulatory agencies engaged in the task of improving the medical education system in India. We feel that the adoption of the proposed system would go a long way in improving career options, increasing the availability of teachers and dissemination of specialists to the secondary and primary levels, and improving the quality of outgoing postgraduates.