Medical colleges – Places where ragging students has become a part of medical education
With the introduction of the medical curriculum for the year 2022-23 the NMC(National Medical Council) has instructed all colleges to set up anti-ragging committees for reducing the number of suicidal tendencies among medical students caused by ragging.
Medical colleges are the places of crafting and moulding the young doctors for future alongwith they have even become safe havens for ragging and suicides in their Medical college campus.The eminent biologist Rudolf Virchow rightfully said,’The medical education does not exist to provide students the way of making a living but to ensure the health of the community.’
The core of Medical colleges education lies in diagnosis, treatment and prevention of diseases in society. In the process of becoming a doctor a student has to clear numerous examinations and memorise a wide array of facts and practical knowledge of the human anatomy and physiology. This is one of the most practically and emotionally demanding jobs and with incidents of ragging being more prevalent in these institutes makes it a hardcore challenge to create physically and mentally strong doctors.
Ragging is just a form of abuse of the newcomers in a particular institution. It is done in other countries also like in America it is called hazing; but the indian version is more severe as it is likely to cause physical, psychological or physiological harm or embarrassment to the student. These practices often form the main grounds of discontinuing a course or suicidal tendencies among the students. The history of ragging is traced back to the first world war where the students who rejoined Medical colleges started these practices which they underwent in the army camps.
Often the practice of ragging is associated with creating a healthy communication between the seniors and the fresh joiners, preparing them for facing different circumstances in real life. However, with the technological advancements we have developed many means of communication in this tech-savvy era. Students should be taught to be obedient and accept the supremacy of their seniors under the veil of ragging. This should be cured as in the long run, it may grow into a chronic disease, which may curb the budding doctors before blooming.
For instance, recent cases have been reported in the city of Kozhikode, Ratlam , Indore , Nagpur where a few seniors were alleged of torturing their juniors by oral means ,
Or by means of physical and sexual harrasment disturbing the decency and morality of the profession they are being taught to practice. Derogatory comments based on the appearance, colour of students and forcing them to perform undesirable activities have made it difficult for the students to focus on their studies and has sown suicidal thoughts in their minds. Only 0.11% of the cases come to be reported according to the statistics laid by NMC.
It is high time that the institutions have come up with methods to sensitise students and address their concerns towards ragging. A policy of ‘zero tolerance’ against ragging should be adopted and made a prerequisite for attaining the medical degree.
The NMC has even launched the ragging dedicated email id [email protected] to note the ragging concerns of students and put them forward before the head of institutions. The medical body has also called for mandatory setting up of anti-ragging committees in every medical college as a part of the curriculum this year and it will collect this information from all medical colleges across India.
Several states have even passed legislations banning ragging, The Honourable supreme court of India has given a landmark judgement in this regard in 2009 declaring ragging as a ‘criminal offence’ and it came up with anti ragging laws and the compulsion of all institutes to follow the same. According to this law, students accused of ragging shall be penalised with a fine and imprisonment for 3 years.
Despite a series of legislations and judgements ragging is widely prevalent in medical colleges so the governing bodies of medical institutions NMC had to come up with regulations to control the menace. Several students have formed organizations to raise their voice against ragging ‘Coalition to uproot ragging from India (CURE) and the registered Non- Government Organization Society against violence in education (SAVE) to name a few. These have been actively working with students and legal advisors to inhibit ragging activities. Parents must also encourage their children to immediately report any such incident happening with them and fight against this form of violence.
Learning is an integrated activity which requires the learner to be cognitive and attentive, the young generation is burdened with different forms of trauma and responsibilities. They have the right to take week-offs, vacations and detoxify their minds and bodies by innovative means. Ragging has been hidden and often scarcely expressed. It has been the reason behind several unreported suicides and deaths in the educational institutes and has also traumatised a few to be physically or mentally crippled for life. The need of the hour is to take strict measures to uproot the same and it is wonderful to note that the NMC is taking steps in that direction.
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