nagpur with icmr deciding to make amendments to its recruitment rules medical students who have completed their phd after obtaining an mbbs degree are now eligible to apply for positions such as scientist e f g h director and dg director general at the indian council of medical research icmr the candidates with a bdsphd qualification can also apply for positions as scientists and assistant directorsgeneral earlier only individuals who completed a phd after a traditional postgraduate degree in science msc were eligible for these senior posts in december 2020 the dr babasaheb ambedkar national students federation a nagpurbased organization of medical students raised this issue which was first reported by toi nagpur following tois reports the icmr formed a committee in february 2021 to address the matter this is a significant victory for us and a progressive policy decision we express our gratitude to the icmr dg and the team for taking such forwardlooking steps to support the mbbs graduates interested in research work in the field of medical science dr siddhant bharne from nagpur who has been actively involved in following up the issue said we have been advocating for this change since 2020 through continuous followup submitting memorandums filing grievances and submitting rti applications we kept building pressure which has finally resulted in this positive decision that will be implemented from this year dr bharne said as per academic standards an mbbs degree is considered equivalent to an msc or masterslevel qualification many doctors pursue postdoctoral phd research and then aspire to conduct further research in life sciences at the icmr according to dr bharne we need more doctors involved in medical research the decision will provide them with a pathway ultimately benefiting the people he said the revised educational qualification required for direct recruitment to seniorlevel scientist positions and assistant dg posts at the icmr now explicitly states mbbs or an equivalent degree recognized by the medical council of india or national medical council with a phd from a recognized university in specified subjects the specified subjects include various medical disciplines such as internal medicine community medicine surgery obgy obstetrics and gynecology and pediatrics with a clear mention of any relevant subject in medicalbiomedical sciences