An open letter to the President and
members of the Dental Council of India
Dear Sirs,
We were shocked to read an office communication (No
DE-190-2013/2630) where the DCI ‘has resolved’ to start a new course in oral
and maxillofacial surgery called M.D.Ch which will be a higher degree in general
OMFS. The communication sent on 24th May 2013 to several State
secretaries, DMEs and Registrars of Universities goes on to explain that if
they do not hear from the recipients within 21 days, the DCI would go ahead
with the implementation of the new course with a duration of 5 ½ years after
BDS or two years after MDS. Most importantly, it is also being offered to MBBS
graduates. Please remember this is a general OMFS degree that is being offered-
not a super specialty in Cleft , cancer etc. The letter was ostensibly written
to the above Government and University authorities because they are defined as ‘stake
holders’ as per section 20 of the Dentists Act. We are reasonably certain that
most of these ‘stake holders’ may not have replied within the stipulated time
(15th of June) and therefore the ground is being prepared for
another ill advised adventure into our course curriculum. In 2007, a similar
adventure under a different president was undertaken when the DCI for some
inexplicable reason, had scrapped the internship. Then too the ‘stake holders’
remained silent!!! Thankfully that experiment with the course curriculum was
reversed. ‘Stake holders’ like Secretaries and Registrars of Universities will
naturally remain silent because they do not understand or care about the name
of some obscure dental degree. Why should they?
Respected Sirs (and Madams), let us once again remind you
that the real stake holders of the profession of OMFS are the more than 3,500
MDS degree holders in the country. Nearly 2500 of them belong to an
organization called the ‘Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons of
India’(AOMSI). We may not be government agencies or bureaucrats but we
certainly are the real stake holders because we practice the specialty, serve
the public and make a living with a ‘humble’ degree called MDS in Oral and
Maxillofacial Surgery. We are aware that there are a couple of persons from the
OMFS fraternity in the DCI trying to push forward an insidious plan to
undermine the qualification of the existing MDS degree holders. We are also
aware that it is being carried forward on the specious argument that the course
duration needs to be increased. We strongly agree that the course duration
needs to be increased taking into account the special medical training needs of
the specialty. In fact several of us have petitioned the DCI on this matter.
The argument that an increase in course duration must necessarily mean a change
in the name of the degree is difficult to buy. When the MDS course was
increased from 2 to 3 years we do not remember anyone changing the name of the
degree. The argument that courses with different durations cannot be called by
the same name is also not acceptable in principle. Let us illustrate. The BDS course can be studied in 4 years in most
universities but it is 4 ½ years in Kerala (24 dental colleges). The longer version
is not called B.D.Ch or any such name. Similarly a condensed BDS of 2 years
(for MBBS graduates) has been offered in Annamalai University for several
years. To the best of my knowledge it is called BDS. Try the Medical
specialties. One can do a 5 year Mch in Neurosurgery. One can also do a 3 year
MCh after MS. They are all called MCh ,in case the DCI has not noticed. One can
do an LLB in 3 years (after graduation) or a consolidated 5 years. Both are
called LLB. In this country there are LLM courses offered for 1 year and for 2
years. Are they not called LLM? PhD degrees in different universities are
offered for a minimum of 4 years and 5 years. Both are called PhD at the end.
We strongly recommend that the MDS course duration be
increased if necessary. But please do not find disingenuous arguments to call
the new format by a different name. What is more ridiculous is the offer to MDS
persons to attain the new degree by studying for 2 more years. The implication
is that the existing MDS qualified persons are sub-standard. The only people
likely to benefit from these new fangled ideas are the numerous dental colleges
that can charge more for a new degree (M.D.Ch) or from those wanting to study
some extra years after MDS. In fact we are convinced that this may in fact be
the real reason for pushing this forward with so much haste keeping the real
stake holders in the dark.
Let me explain what happens if you change the name of the
degree from MDS to M.D. Ch. We are going
to have a new kind of Oral Surgeon with a different name and a superior
attitude. The humble MDS graduate, and there are 3500 of them, will be
downgraded with one sweeping, inconsiderate act of the DCI. MDS graduates will
technically be reduced to second grade post graduates. Is this what you want to
do to a generation of young post graduates- disenfranchising and downgrading
them and their precious degree?
The MDS graduates with oral and maxillofacial surgery have
unanimously struck down this proposal in 2011 during a well attended conference
in Delhi. The matter was clearly communicated to the DCI. We do not know what
has changed in the statutory body. We will challenge it again in a court of law
if necessary.
We request the DCI in its collective wisdom to withdraw this
proposal. This is a request from the ‘real stake holders’ of the profession.
George Paul- Past Hon. Secretary, Past
President (AOMSI) and member of the AOMSI education committee of AOMSI
Manjunath Rai- Hon. General Secretary
AOMSI
Kishore Nayak- Past Hon. Secretary,
Past President and President of the International Association of Oral and
Maxillofacial Surgery
Prabhu. S- Past Hon. Secretary, Past
President (AOMSI) and member of education committee
Sanjiv Nair- Hon. Editor of AOMSI
national journal and executive member of the International Association (IAOMS)
Krishnamurthy Bonanthaya- Past
executive member and member of the education committee of AOMSI.
