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NEW DELHI: Medical students could soon get an additional year to complete their MBBS course, with National Medical Commission (NMC) proposing to extend the maximum duration to finish undergraduate medical education from nine years to ten years.In a draft amendment to Graduate Medical Education Regulations 2023, NMC has proposed that no student will be allowed to continue the undergraduate medical course beyond ten years of joining the MBBS programme, including the compulsory rotatory medical internship. The existing regulation limits the duration to nine years from the date of admission.The proposal leaves unchanged another key provision of the regulations that bars students from making more than four attempts to clear the First Professional MBBS examination (the exam conducted at the end of the first academic year).The amendment is expected to benefit students whose education is delayed due to academic setbacks, health issues, family circumstances or other unforeseen reasons.The draft notification, published in Gazette of India, has been placed in the public domain for comments and suggestions. NMC has invited feedback from medical colleges, students, faculty members and other stakeholders. It said ob-jections and suggestions received within 30 days will be considered before the amendment is finalised. The change comes nearly three years after the introduction of the competency-based Graduate Medical Education Regulations, 2023, which had capped the duration of undergraduate medical education at nine years.Medical education experts say the proposal reflects the recognition that a small section of students may require additional time to complete training because of interruptions during the course. They noted that while the amendment provides greater flexibility, it does not dilute academic standards since the four-attempt ceiling in the First Professional MBBS examination remains intact.
