Parliament Question: Policy for Medical Courses

GOVERNMENTOFINDIA MINISTRYOFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE DEPARTMENTOFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 4760 TOBE ANSWERED ON20TH MARCH, 2026 POLICYFORMEDICALCOURSES †4760.SHRICHANDAN CHAUHAN: Will the Minister of HEALTHANDFAMILYWELFARE be pleased tostate: (a)whether the Government isformulating a comprehensive policytooffer MBBS, BAMS, BHMS andothermedicalcourses in Hindi andothermothertongues, if so, the detailsthereof; (b) whether any National mechanism has been put in place for the translation of medical textbooks, the standardisation of technical terminology and development of digital study materials,if so, the details thereof; (c)the concretesteps taken so far toincrease the participationof students from rural and disadvantagedcommunities inmothertongue-based medicaleducationin the country; and (d) the detailsof the time framesandthe budgetaryprovisions for the effective implementation of thisinitiativein the country? ANSWER THE MINISTEROFSTATE IN THE MINISTRYOFHEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SMT. ANUPRIYAPATEL) (a) to (d): The Competency-Based Medical Education (CBME) curriculum issued by the National Medical Commission (NMC) provides for teaching, learning and assessment in a bilingual mode integrating English with regional languages such as Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati,Hindi, Kannada,Malayalam, Marathi, Odiya, Punjabi,Tamil andTelugu. Further, the Foundation Course under the CBME curriculum aims to prepare learners for effective medical study by fostering skills in language, interpersonal relationships, communication and other related competencies. Additionally, learners may be enrolled concurrently in a local language programme, anEnglish language programme or a computer skills trainingprogramme. Moreover, as informed by the Ministry of AYUSH, the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) has undertaken various initiatives to standardize Ayurveda terminology, including the publication of the Standardized Ayurveda Terminologies on the National Ayush Morbidity and Standardized Terminologies Electronic Portal (NAMASTE Portal). CCRAS has also contributed tothe development of the WHO InternationalStandard Terminologies on Ayurveda and the Traditional Medicine Module 2 of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) andhasdeveloped electronicversions of classical Ayurveda textssuch asCharakasamhita and Sushrutasamhita,which are availableonline. ***** 1