EMN
Dimapur, January 20
A governing agency of doctors and medical officials in the state of Nagaland has asked doctors to seek the standard guidelines recommended by the medical council of India. One of the guidelines includes securing continual credits for a medical practitioner.
The Nagaland Medical Council met during their annual general meeting on January 15 during which the members resolved to institute the ‘Continuing Medical Education’ guidelines for all doctors practicing in Nagaland.
These guidelines are standard guidelines which are recommended by the MCI (Medical Council of India),’ the group said in a press issued to the media on Tuesday.
“According to these guidelines, every practicing doctor in the state needs to acquire 30 Continuing Medical Education credit points in 5 years in order to have their legal registration renewed,’ the press release stated. “This amounts to 6 credit points per year and each credit point is equal to 2 Continuing Medical Education hours. If a doctor does not have these Continuing Medical Education credits at the end of 5 years, he or she will not be eligible for renewal of registration.”
According to the group, the Continuing Medical Education can be acquired from conferences within or outside the state and valid proof of the same needs to be produced to clock Continuing Medical Education credits with the state medical council.
“Continuing medical education is a must for doctors so that they are well equipped with the latest information and trends in medical knowledge and do justice to the trust that is placed on them by patients who come to them,” the press release stated.
In the west, doctors are required to appear a compulsory exam periodically in order to assess their competency to practice. Failing or not appearing such an exam disqualifies them from practicing as a doctor. This practice has not yet been instituted in India. With emergence of the importance of patient safety consciousness, these processes might find greater prominence.
Considering the difficulty of terrain and accessibility in Nagaland for doctors in far flung remote districts, due processes are being designed in order to ensure that all doctors are given a fair chance to acquire these credits. The Nagaland Medical council will make all efforts to ensure that this process is inclusive and no doctor is left out from benefiting from it.
A leniency period of three months is being provided to doctors and their respective associations to develop the mechanisms to conduct Continuing Medical Education according to the guidelines and plan for their yearly Continuing Medical Education points.
“It is hoped that with the introduction of these guidelines and regulations, doctors in Nagaland will advance professionally and healthcare for the people in general will improve significantly,” the medical council said. “The official website of the Nagaland Medical council is presently under construction and once it is in place, the guidelines will be available on the website.”
“These guidelines are being e-mailed to all the doctors who have registered with the state medical council. Copies of these guidelines are also available and clarifications/ suggestions can be made with the office of the Registrar of the council at the Paramedical training Institute, Kohima,” the press release added.
The press release was appended by the convener of the Continuing Medical Education committee of the Nagaland Medical Council.
