NEW DELHI: Two international organisations that work for disability inclusion in medical education and for transgender health, respectively, have threatened to complain to the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) seeking temporary suspension of the National Medical Commission’s (NMC) recognition by the world body for violation of existing laws to protect the rights of persons with disabilities and LGBTQ+ in the recently released medical education curriculum.
The International Council for Disability Inclusion in Medical Education and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) expressed dismay at “the outright ableist, transphobic new CBME guidelines released by NMC which are against both the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act (RPDA), 2016, and the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act (TPA), 2019.”
In Sept 2023, NMC was awarded Recognition Status for 10 years by the WFME. Any complaint regarding the dilution of standards could lead to temporary suspension, withdrawal of recognition, or denial of the recognition status, said the two organisations. Recognised agencies are monitored by the WFME throughout the duration of recognition and since they are required to complete a status report annually, about six to 18 months after formal recognition, NMC’s status report is due soon.
In 2019, disability rights were included as a mandatory competency by the NMC. In the new Competency Based Medical Education (CBME-2024), NMC has “removed the mandatory 7 hours of Disability Competencies from the Foundation Course in its new regulations, which violates the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016”.
The organisations have urged the ministries concerned to intervene “to correct this wrong which… directly impacts the interests of persons with disabilities, the transgender and gender-diverse individuals, persons with differences in sexual orientation and persons with differences in sex development”.
The International Council for Disability Inclusion in Medical Education and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) expressed dismay at “the outright ableist, transphobic new CBME guidelines released by NMC which are against both the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act (RPDA), 2016, and the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act (TPA), 2019.”
In Sept 2023, NMC was awarded Recognition Status for 10 years by the WFME. Any complaint regarding the dilution of standards could lead to temporary suspension, withdrawal of recognition, or denial of the recognition status, said the two organisations. Recognised agencies are monitored by the WFME throughout the duration of recognition and since they are required to complete a status report annually, about six to 18 months after formal recognition, NMC’s status report is due soon.
In 2019, disability rights were included as a mandatory competency by the NMC. In the new Competency Based Medical Education (CBME-2024), NMC has “removed the mandatory 7 hours of Disability Competencies from the Foundation Course in its new regulations, which violates the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016”.
The organisations have urged the ministries concerned to intervene “to correct this wrong which… directly impacts the interests of persons with disabilities, the transgender and gender-diverse individuals, persons with differences in sexual orientation and persons with differences in sex development”.