“Teaching experience and research publications” - quantity matters and quality suffers, a medical teacher perspective

摘要

Sir, The Medical Council of India (MCI) (further will be cited as “MCI”) was established with the main objective of maintaining uniform standards of medical education in India. Since inception, several times, MCI has occupied the space of newspapers either on the front page or in the headline under the caption of good and bad deeds. It is not unknown that medical field remains the career of choice for young aspirants because of its lucrative and dignifying nature. The herculean task of converting a na?ve adolescent into a responsible doctor ultimately remains on the shoulders of medical teachers serving in medical institutes. A medical teacher, being an architect and a builder of students' behavior, plays a pivotal role in shaping the future medicos.[1] Medical education in India has witnessed many irregularities either in the form of shortage of medical teachers or in the form of ghost faculties. Numerous amendments in regard to appointment and promotion of a medical teacher have been declared under “Minimum Qualifications for Teachers in Medical Institutions Regulations, 1998” to its last version of “amendments up to June 8, 2017” encompassing (only) two criteria to be taken into account, first is teaching experience and second is research publications.[2]