Most Doctors Find MBBS Education In Hindi Detrimental To Knowledge Growth & Advancement

In the month of October, Union Home Minister Amit Shah released a series of MBBS textbooks in the Hindi language to promote regional languages as well as encourage students to study in their language. The ambitious project to impart medical education in a regional language was a first in the country and was received with mixed reactions.

However, many other states were quick to follow the idea and announced that they would be introducing academic books in regional languages. Shah himself had confirmed that work is underway to print technical and medical education books in eight other languages in the country.

The minister conveyed that students from across the country should be enabled to come out of their linguistic inferiority complex and proudly showcase their abilities in their language. However, this conception of linguistic upliftment has brought concerns among doctors and medical associations, who believe that the regional language would gravely limit the scope of a student's growth and knowledge.

Improving Language Skills Should Not Be Demonised

In the initial phase, Hindi textbooks were released for medical biochemistry, anatomy, and medical physiology subjects. Madhya Pradesh state's Medical Education Minister, Dhan Singh Rawat, stated that a committee would be set in place to prepare a draft of the new college syllabus after studying the MBBS Hindi syllabus in government colleges.

Reflecting on this initiative, Karan Juneja, an MBBS doctor and national secretary of the IMA-Junior Doctors Network, said that the government should focus on improving infrastructure and school education. Drawing examples from his observations, he says that promoting regional language education could block the opportunity for many to grow their understanding of a different language. A report by Indian Express quoted him saying, "We have seen students who come from rural areas, without any English background, managing well with the subjects and the language. They adapt to the environment and improve themselves."

By underestimating their ability to adapt and learn, the government has proposed a plan that may end up detrimental to their growth. The way forward is to empower and enable regional or rural students with the English language right from the school level. "If they know the language, it wouldn't be a problem," he noted.

Limits Education Drastically

Dr J A Jayalal, the former national president of the Indian Medical Association, believes that the initiative, which may initially seem to empower, could deter the student's growth on multiple grounds. Modern medicine is a globally practised field and often credits its advancements to the exchange of ideas and technology between countries. In such a space of study, limiting students from learning and understanding medicine from their regional language would cut them off from the global space of medicine. Medical education is a constantly growing space of study and requires practitioners to remain updated and informed.

Rather than based on textbook information, medicine needs to be learnt from a vast space that includes international research papers, journals, articles, and communication with practitioners, all of which require a grasp of the universal language of English. Adding on to this, Jayalal was quoted saying, "If you are trained in a regional language, you cannot expect to go outside to study and update your knowledge and skills." So, while it may seem okay for those who intend to practise on a local or community level, it deters them from upgrading or understanding medicine from a larger global perspective.

Not Devoid Of Pros

Jaswant Jangra, president of the Resident Doctors' Association, AIIMS, New Delhi, says that the initiative can be beneficial on multiple levels. According to him, introducing MBBS education in a regional language would encourage more students to pursue their education confidently and improve their scores. Stating that he has come across many students who had dropped out as they were uncomfortable with English, he says that this would positively impact a good proportion of the student community in the country.

Even more importantly, strengthening their medical understanding through a regional language would improve doctor-patient communications. The report quoted Jangra saying, "Sometimes doctors are not able to convey a message to the patient, which is very important in this profession. Conversing in a common language will solve that issue." Thus, while he agrees that there are definitely cons to education in regional languages with the lack of "medical journals in Indian languages", Jangra says that it would not pose an issue for those who do not wish to venture into research or global medical space.

Also Read: Madhya Pradesh Becomes First State In India To Introduce MBBS Course In Hindi