The commission has asked medical education institutions not to recommend such books to students (representational)
In medical education, clinical history, symptoms, examination findings, etc. about gender or a similar issue cannot be taught in such a way that it becomes derogatory or insulting towards the LGBTQA+ (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, queer, and asexual) community, the National Medical Commission (NMC), the top body for medical education and training in the country, said.
The commission said some medical textbooks, especially those for Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, and Psychiatry subjects, contain “unscientific information” about virginity and “derogatory remarks against the LGBTQA+ community and homosexuals”. The commission has asked medical education institutions not to recommend such books to students.
“All the medical universities, colleges, institutions are requested that while teaching UG and PG students, whenever the issue of gender or similar kind arise, the mention of clinical history or complains or signs/symptoms, examination findings or history about nomenclature should not be taught in such a way that it becomes/perceived in any way derogatory, discriminatory or insulting to LGBTQA+ community,” the NMC said.
“Further, all the authors of medical textbooks are hereby instructed to amend the information about virginity, LGBTQA+ community and homosexuals, etc. in their textbooks according to the available scientific literature, guidelines issued by the government, and directions passed by the hon'ble courts,” it said.
The Kerala High Court had recently asked the NMC and Undergraduate Medical Education Board to consider removing “unscientific, derogatory” comments about the queer community from medical textbooks.
Two NGOs, Queerythm and Disha, had filed the writ petition seeking removal of the content.
Many MBBS textbooks consider homosexuality, lesbianism etc. either a mental disorder or unnatural offence, Advocate Legith T Kottakkal, counsel for the petitioners, told Careers360.
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“Many volunteers pursuing MBBS are bullied by their peers because of the content in the textbooks. For example, they are taught that lesbianism is unnatural, a perversion etc. This causes discrimination and they are not able to face society. Future doctors are being taught something against the law...the queer community has been suffering for many yearsm,” he said.
“The Supreme Court verdict [in 2018] clearly says that the government, as well as the public authorities, shall do things that would be in consonance with the judgement,” he said, referring to the Supreme Court verdict that struck down Section 377 of the Indian penal code.