Revised NBE Accreditation Process Announced

Introduction

New Delhi: The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) has officially announced the updated NBE Accreditation Process and Criteria applicable to hospitals, medical colleges, and institutions offering DNB, DrNB, FNB, and Diploma programmes throughout India. These revised guidelines are designed to enhance accreditation standards, align faculty qualifications with the latest National Medical Commission (NMC) requirements, and improve the training infrastructure for postgraduate and super-specialty medical education.

Faculty Qualification Criteria

In accordance with the Medical Institutions (Qualifications of Faculty) Regulations, 2025 issued by the NMC, the NBEMS has adopted the following modified faculty qualification criteria as notified by the NMC on July 5, 2025:

Minimum Eligibility Criteria for NBEMS Faculty

1. **For DNB Courses:**
– Post MBBS Diploma holders with 13 years of post-diploma experience will be classified as Senior Consultants, while those with 10 years will be designated as Junior Consultants in the same specialty. Only one faculty member with a PG Diploma qualification will be allowed per applicant department for accreditation. All other full-time faculty members in the department must meet the existing minimum qualifications prescribed for the respective DNB Course.

2. **For Post MBBS Diploma Courses:**
– Faculty with a PG Diploma qualification and 10 years of post-diploma experience in the relevant specialty will be considered Senior Consultants, while those with 7 years will be deemed Junior Consultants.

3. **Past Experience Consideration:**
– Proposed faculty with previous experience in NMC (formerly MCI) recognized medical colleges or institutions in the relevant specialty will be eligible for accreditation with NBEMS, regardless of the current minimum eligibility criteria.

Revised Minimum Accreditation Criteria

The minimum accreditation criteria have also been updated for the following courses and specialties:

DNB Radio Diagnosis

1. **Mandatory Departments:**
– General Medicine, General Surgery, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Paediatrics, and Orthopaedics.

2. **Essential Modalities:**
– Imaging modalities such as CR/DR, Ultrasound (including colour Doppler), Spiral/Multi Slice CT, MRI Facilities, and Cath-Lab/Interventional Radiology Facilities.

3. **Desirable Modalities:**
– Fluoroscopy and Mammography.

4. **Access for Trainees:**
– An undertaking from the outsourced agency is required to ensure trainees have full access to imaging facilities, including opportunities to draft reports and participate in patient care.

5. **Joint Accreditation Scheme:**
– The rotational posting in a secondary hospital will now last for four months per year, focusing on managing radiological emergencies and trauma patients.

DNB Emergency Medicine

1. **Mandatory Departments:**
– General Medicine, General Surgery, Orthopaedics, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, and Paediatrics.

2. **Faculty Requirements:**
– At least one faculty member must possess a DNB/MD in Emergency Medicine for the programme. This criterion applies only to applications for new accreditation and does not affect ongoing or renewal accreditation.
– If existing faculty leave, hospitals must appoint qualified faculty to maintain accreditation.

3. **Revised Minimum Experience:**
– For Senior Consultants (S.C.), the post-PG experience requirement has decreased from 8 years to 5 years. For Junior Consultants (J.C.), it has dropped from 5 years to 2 years.
– Additional specialties can now qualify for faculty inclusion under the Emergency Medicine department.

Diploma in Family Medicine

1. **Bed Requirements:**
– The necessary number of beds for hospitals offering the Diploma in Family Medicine has been reduced from 100 to 60, while maintaining a minimum of 10 beds in core departments.

2. **Patient Load Criteria:**
– OPD and IPD load requirements remain at 5,000 and 1,000, respectively.

3. **Faculty Background:**
– At least one faculty member (Senior or Junior Consultant) must have a background in family medicine for the DNB and Diploma course applications.

Overlapping of Hospital Beds in FNB and DNB/DrNB Courses

The accreditation criteria now allow FNB and DNB/DrNB applications to be considered as a single unit if the ongoing/applicant DNB/DrNB course is the main clinical department for the FNB course.

Concurrent Administration of DrNB Courses

Hospitals that possess distinct (non-overlapping) faculty, sufficient caseloads, and meet all other minimum accreditation criteria can now concurrently administer both the 3-year and direct 6-year DrNB courses in the same specialty.

Further Information

To view the detailed notice, please click the following link:
NBE Revised Accreditation Criteria Notice