About 25 doctors felicitated for their contribution to DNB teaching in the state

Bengaluru: Acknowledging the impact of the introduction of Diplomate of National Board (DNB) courses, the Karnataka State Conclave 2024 of the Association of National Board Accredited Institutions (ANBAI) honoured 25 doctor-teachers and 9 gold medallists of DNB courses in the state on Friday.

The event aimed to bring government and private NBE (National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences) institutions under one roof to deliberate on the delivery of medical education in the state. Held at Bangalore Baptist Hospital, the birthplace of ANBAI, the conclave brought together experienced DNB teachers from across the state -- seven of whom were from different district hospitals -- and recognised their efforts. 

Dr Alexander Thomas, founder-president, ANBAI, noted that NBE teachers are generally not recognised. This is even though the DNB courses they teach are considered equivalent to MD (Doctor of Medicine) or MS (Master of Surgery). 

Dr Thomas attributed the improvement in healthcare services in the state's government hospitals largely as a result of the introduction of DNB and diploma courses in taluk and district hospitals. “This unique story of public-private partnership started in 2017, involving three key players: the government of Karnataka, the National Board of Examinations, and ANBAI in facilitating the whole process,” he said.

Dr Abhijat Sheth, guest of honour, president, National Board of Examinations (NBE), acknowledged the challenges present in the process of conducting NEET PG examinations. “We want to work on the bottlenecks. Let us address all the concerns with the best intentions,” he said.

Jawaid Akhtar, former Additional Chief Secretary, health and family welfare (medical education), was felicitated on the occasion. 

Speaking on the occasion, he said, “A diploma programme introduction was a great boost to medical education because there was earlier a shortage of specialists in taluk hospitals. I'm very grateful to the NBE for accepting our suggestion to reserve some seats for government doctors in taluk hospitals”.

He added that this public-private partnership was also evident during the Covid pandemic, where National Board residents across government and private medical institutions came together to be frontline warriors.