The National Medical Commission (NMC) has allowed postgraduate medical students to submit their thesis with a delay. A three-month relaxation has been offered to postgraduate medical students who have been supporting the healthcare system during the pandemic.

Students were to submit their thesis six months prior to the theory and practical examination, however, Postgraduate Medical Education Board (PGMEB) of the National Medical Commission (NMC) has now revised guidelines. The six-month period has been reduced to three-month. This relaxation has been given to the students, belonging to batches 2018-19, 2019-20 or 2020-21, who are writing exams for 2022.

The NMC  in an advisory said that it had received several requests regarding the submission of the Postgraduate thesis of students. Paying heed to their request, the Postgraduate Medical Education Board writes, “The board has decided to relax the said portion of the regulation and allow the postgraduate degree students to submit their thesis at least three months before the theory and clinical or practical examination.”

The board also advised the universities, medical colleges, and institutions to consider the sample size taken in the thesis, even if it is less than the committed sample size approved in the thesis protocol study. This is applicable for students of batches 2018-19 and 2019-20.

Further, the NMC has also given some relaxation in norms pertaining to examinations for the postgraduate students of batch 2018-19, who are studying in broad or super specialties. Ideally, the students have to make a poster presentation, read a paper at a conference, or submit a research paper on a publication. However, according to the revised guidelines even if the PG students of batch 2018-19 have not completed the above-mentioned tasks, they will be eligible to appear for the examination.

Earlier in December 2020, in wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, the NMC had given similar relief to PG students on submission of postgraduate degree thesis.

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