158
institution in British India in order to obtain a recognised medical quali
fication are not such as to secure the knowledge and skill requisite for the
efficient practice of medicine. The procedure is laid down whereby the
Central Government may enquire into such representation and remove
the qualification from the Schedule. In fulfilment of this duty the Council,
between 1934 and 1936, required full information from all the British
Indian Universities which grant medical qualifications and, by means of a
specially appointed panel of inspectors, completed the inspection of all
these medical institutions and their final examinations for the medical
degrees. By October 1936 the Council had approved of the qualifications
of Patna, Bombay, Lucknow, Madras, the Punjab, Calcutta and Rangoon
Universities.
In order to indicate the minimum requirements which it considered
necessary for the securing of the requisite knowledge and skill for the
practice of medicine, the Council immediately after its constitution, drew
up, after consulting the Universities, a series of recommendations on pro
fessional education (pages 62—67) and on professional examinations, copies
of which were supplied to the medical institutions concerned. A revision
of the "Recompendations on Professional Education" in accordance with
the latest developments in and suggestions for the improvement of the
curriculum was undertaken in 1936, after the completion of the inspections,
and the revised recommendations have been adopted and will come into
effect from the commencement of the session of 1940.
It must be remembered that the Council has no power to lay down hard
and fast rules for the curriculum, and this really is an advantage, for it
enables the various teaching bodies to make experiments and
improvements and leads, in the long run, to progress.
9.
For the second purpose, provisions have been included in the Act
for the modification, after the initial period of four years, of the Second
Scheduled, which consists of the non-Indian qualifications.
The Council is authorised by Section 14 of the Act to enter into nego
tiations, for the settling of a scheme of reciprocity for the recognition of
medical qualifications, with the authority in any State or Country outside
British India which is entrusted by the law of such State or Country with
the maintenance of a register of medical practitioners. The Second Sche
dule now contains only those non-Indian qualifications which are accepted
by the Council on a basis of reciprocity. Enquiries have been made from
other Countries, not having medical qualifications of their own, in which
Indian Medical Practitioners have special interest, as to the condition of
practice at present obtaining there. Except Tanganyika, all have expressed
their niability to recognise any qualification not recognised by the General
Medical Council and this restriction applies to the qualifications of other
Countries as well.
10. The General Medical Council of Great Britain, has accepted for
registration in the United Kingdom all the degrees granted by the British
Indian Universities which have been approved by this Council, those of
Bombay, Lucknow, Madras and the Punjab Universities with retrospective
effect from February 25, 1930 (the date from which previous recognition
was withdrawn), those of Patna from May 11th, 1935 (the date of the
Government notification placing them on the First Schedule of the Act).