New Delhi : The National Medical Commission (NMC) said that it was mandatory for all students pursuing MD or MS to undergo a mandatory program called District Residency Programme (DRP) in which they will be posted at a district hospital for three months, starting from the 2021 batch onwards. The NMC in a letter to the Director, Directorate of Medical Education of all States and Union Territories and Principal/Dean of all the medical colleges/Medical Institutions of India said that DRP id mandatory for students admitted in private medical colleges and deemed universities. As per the regulations, the District Residency Programme has been made mandatory in district hospitals for three months and the rotation of students is to be done in the 3 or 4 or 5 semesters of the postgraduate programme, the NMC said.
The National Level Steering committee chaired by the President, of the post-graduate medical education board (PGMEB) took the decision and asked all concerned to take necessary action accordingly. The NMC said that the district hospital eligible for DRP includes Community Health Centers (CHC) at the Taluka Level subject to the condition that it is a public sector/government-funded hospital of not less than 100 beds with facility/staff for the designated specialties.
NMC further said that since DRP is a new initiative, it will be flexible based on the requirements and necessary modifications in the regulations can be suggested by the stake holders. It added that the accommodation for resident doctors has to be provided by the concerned state and UT within the campus of the district hospital or within a periphery of 2-3 km so that they are available on call. Representations have been received from students admitted in the year 2020 seeking exemption from DRP as their final year examinations are approaching, the NMC stated. The Post Graduate Medical Education Regulation 2000 (PGMER-2000) provides for three months District Residency Programme (DRP) in the district health system for PG students of broad specialty. These provisions were made by notification dated September 16, 2020. However due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the DRP has not been implemented till now, the NMC letter said.