The Medical Council of India (MCI) recently revised its MBBS syllabus after 21 years, focusing on practical training, Attitude, Ethics and Communication (AECOM) module in the medical curriculum. The Medical Council of India approved a new curriculum on November 9, 2018, which will be implemented beginning in the 2019-20 academic year. According to The New Indian Express, MCI academics worked for two and a half years to structure the new MBBS curriculum, holding it up to date with global science developments and emerging diseases. The new medical curriculum has been submitted to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare under the title “Competency-based UG Curriculum for the Indian Medical Graduate.” The oversight committee has approved and endorsed the curriculum in principle, according to a senior Ministry official, and it will be told in the near future.

“The student should be trained to effectively communicate with patients and their relatives in a manner respectful of the patient’s preferences, values, beliefs, confidentiality, and privacy,” the MCI wrote in the document’s foreword. “To this end, the Medical Council of India has prepared a book on Attitude, Ethics, and Communication; the teaching faculty of medical colleges have been trained by the MCI in the new course called “Attitude, Ethics, and Communication (AECOM),” which aims to make medical professionals more aware of “differences in thinking, social and economic status, and gender.” The aim of this course, according to the introduction, is to prevent miscommunication between doctors and patients.

The Attitude Ethics and Communication (AECOM) module discussed some palliative care competencies, as well as some improvements in competencies related to other topics. The Medical Council of India (MCI) recently announced the introduction of a Pandemic Management Module for Undergraduates. Palliative care has been given its due in the module. It has its own segment [Module 4.6 pg 69-71], and four hours of the MBBS final process have been devoted to it. The module portrays the case of a chronically ill gentleman who has exhausted all medical options and now needs palliative care for himself and his family. Two hours of interactive lectures will be accompanied by character building and a debriefing session. It’s a decent start, even if it’s still woefully inadequate. It also offers an opportunity to educate the next generation of doctors.

The new MBBS curriculum is a major improvement over the previous one, which was established in 1997. The previous curriculum was based on rote learning in the classroom. The new program will include a course to help students appreciate the benefits of organ donation, as well as guidance for how to communicate to patients or their families about it. Notably, the current curriculum excludes homosexuality and adultery from the section on sexual offenses, which is a positive improvement from the previous curriculum.

AECOM module in medical curriculum