Challenges in medical education

Abstract

Medical education in India is at crossroads confronted with numerous serious challenges of monstrous proportions looking at virtual collapse adversely affecting the mindset and quality of doctors under the hypnotizing influence of corporatization and commercialization converting doctors into materialistic, self-centred, without values of sacrifice, service or commitment to the country as well as depriving the poor brilliant students a chance to become a doctor. The challenges in medical education are different for public medical education such as poor work environment, bureaucratic interferences, lack of funds and dilapidated infrastructure, whereas challenges in private medical institutions are generally about rampant and open illegal and unethical practices, excessive commercialization and being obnoxiously expensive. Moreover, both public and private medical institutes are governed by ineffective regulatory institutions like State Medical Councils and National Medical Commission. During COVID-19 pandemic, miserable deficiencies were exposed in our public health care and exploitation by private health institutions because of progressive deterioration and increasing commercialisation of medical education. All these factors seriously impact the health-care system both public and private leading to increased attention and focus on the state. Even with 541 medical colleges, medical education in India still needs revolutionary and urgent changes to fulfil the healthcare needs of the nation.