The National Medical Commission (NMC), which regulates medical education, has recommended that the ‘Maharshi Charak Shapath’ replace the Hippocratic Oath in a new curriculum for MBBS courses and students in the country.
“Modified ‘Maharshi Charak Shapath’ is advised when a candidate is introduced to medical school,” according to new standards. The guidelines also include a 10-day yoga “basic course” starting on June 12 and ending on June 21, which is International Yoga Day.
National Medical Commission recommended
“It is suggested that yoga training begins during the foundation course, [one hour, preferably in the morning during orientation week].” According to the updated instructions of the national medical commission, “yoga practices shall be for a maximum of one hour every day for a period of ten days commencing on June 12th every year and culminating on International Yoga Day, i.e. June 21, to be commemorated in all medical schools across the country.”
A rigorous continuous formative and internal assessment is required, according to the rules, to assure capabilities and, as a result, a qualified medical graduate.
“We can have two internal assessments if necessary, and the third internal assessment can be generated from numerous unitary and continuous exams done during the year,” it stated. Surprisingly, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya recently stated in Parliament that ‘Maharshi Charak Shapath’ will be an elective for medical students rather than mandatory.
The Charaka Shapath or Charaka oath is a series of instructions given by a teacher to prospective students of the science of medicine. It is found in the Sanskrit work Charaka Samhita, which is the Sanskrit text on Ayurveda (Indian traditional medicine).
The National Medical Commission has recommended to the change the oath. The Hippocratic Oath, a code of ethics attributed to the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, has been a widely accepted guideline for conducting medical professions throughout the years and is currently used in many medical school graduation ceremonies.