MCI To Amend MBBS Syllabus After 21 Years: Priority Placed On Mental Health And Communication Skills 

The Medical Council of India (MCI), responsible for regulating medical education in India, has decided to revamp the syllabus of Medicinae Baccalaures Baccalaureus Chirurgiae (MBBS) after 21 years, India Today reports.

As per the revised syllabus that would be introduced next year, sources say that MBBS would consist of more sessions with a focus on mental health, public health and communication skills. The new syllabus would also emphasise on counselling patients and their relatives about organ donation and making them aware of its benefits.

The new syllabus would also comprise a set of 'outcome-based' classes including attitude, ethics, and communication (AETCOM). This will be introduced from first-year onwards and will inculcate communication skills with patients and their relatives.

MCI was established in 1934 under the Indian Medical Council Act, 1933, now repealed, with the main function of establishing uniform standards of higher qualifications in medicine and recognition of medical qualifications in India and abroad.