New Delhi: National Medical Commission (NMC) has withdrawn their controversial Competency Based Medical Education Curriculum (CBME) guidelines for 2024, which listed lesbianism and sodomy as offenses. The NMC released a circular stating, “It is informed that the circular of even number dated August 31, 2024, thereby issuing guidelines under Competency Based Medical Education Curriculum (CBME) 2024, stands ‘withdrawn and cancelled’ with immediate effect.” “The above guidelines will be revised and uploaded in due course. This issues with the approval of the competent authority,” the NMC added. The CBME also removed a seven-hour course surrounding training on disabilities and disability-friendly sections of their medical ethics course.
NMC had released its new CBME guidelines which were set to be implemented for MBBS students in the academic year 2024-25. However, they soon received backlash for the listing of lesbianism and sodomy as offenses in their forensic medicine and toxicology curriculum. They also referred to transgenderism as ‘sexual perversion’. The guidelines caused an uproar due to the re-introduction of regressive concepts such as using the hymen to define virginity in medico-legal practices. Some of these changes had been removed from the curriculum in 2022 after directives by the Madras high court. Doctors, disability rights activists and LGTBQIA+ activists expressed their anger at the new curriculum when it was first released.