The Post Graduate Medical Education Board (PGMEB) of the National Medical Commission (NMC) has issued a notice in start of this year that all PG Examination of 2021 batch must be completed by all Medical colleges in India by 31st Decembe 24. In this regard beside attendance,having publication of a paper and attending continuous medical education conferences etc,a submission of thesis or dissertation approved by hod of department is being required .
The subsequent confusion surrounding the necessity of thesis submission led to an online meeting held on July 31, 2024. During this meeting, stakeholders, including representatives from various health universities, discussed the issues related to the thesis submission as a prerequisite for appearing in the final examination for the PG Broad Specialty batch of 2021.
Subsequently, the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences, Nashik, in a letter dated 01-08-2024 and other stakeholders have sought clarification on this matter.
The clarification, outlined in the NMC letter dated August 28, 2024, addresses concerns raised by medical colleges and institutions about the mandatory nature of thesis approval for final examinations.
The NMC’s letter follows a public notice released on June 13, 2024, which had initially set a deadline for completing the final examination by December 31, 2024.
There was rejclarification regarding the submission of dissertations and thesis. The NMC letter clarified that PG medical students will not be barred from appearing in their final examinations if they have not yet obtained approval for their dissertation or thesis from the Head of Department (HoD).
In response to these concerns, the NMC referred to the Post Graduate Medical Education Regulations, 2023 (PGMER-23), which were officially published on January 1, 2024. The regulations provide clear guidelines regarding the role of the dissertation or thesis in the examination process. Regulation 5.2 (ii) mandates that all broad specialty and super specialty students are required to undertake thesis-related research and write a thesis.
As per the NMC letter, Regulation 8.4 details that the dissertation or thesis will contribute 5% of the total marks for the clinical, practical and viva voice examinations. This translates to 20 marks out of the total marks for these components. The NMC letter read, “External examiner outside the state will evaluate dissertation/ thesis and take viva voce on it and marks will be given on quality of dissertation/thesis and performance on its viva voce.” But HOD’s approval on thesis not mandatory for final exams.
The key takeaway from the NMC’s clarification is that P Gstudents will not be prohibited from appearing for their final examinations if they have not yet gotten HoD’s approval for their dissertation or thesis. Instead, the dissertation will contribute a fixed percentage of marks to the clinical, practical and viva voce exams, ensuring that it is an integral but not sole determinant of examination eligibility.
