Mumbai doctors desperate to get credit points

Gynaecologists attending a diabetes conference does sound weird, but in reality it is only a desperate act by doctors aiming for 12 hours of credit points deemed mandatory by the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) for renewal of their registration.

Dr Anil Suchak of the Indian Medical Association (Maharashtra chapter) said, “In a hurry to collect the required credit hours, desperate doctors have been attending continuing medical education (CME) programmes not related to their field.”

In fact, with 40% of doctors having failed to collect the required credit hours in time for the earlier Maharashtra Medical Council-stipulated deadline of February 29, the council has now extended it to May 31.

The credit hour system was introduced so that doctors regularly update themselves through continuing medical education or engage in some research work. Doctors can earn the credit hours by attending seminars and conferences, which are a part of the continuing medical education programmes.

Stating that the state Maharashtra Medical Council  was acting on the directives of Medical Council of India (MCI), which has made the continuing medical education compulsory, Dr Jayesh Lele, Maharashtra state secretary, Indian Medical Association (IMA) said, “These days, technology is moving fast and it’s necessary for doctors to keep themselves abreast of them.”

He added, “Only 30-40% of doctors have collected and processed the documents for renewal of their registration.”