India, May 31 -- By Dr. K. Javeed Nayeem, MD

A small news item buried deep inside my newspaper caught my eye today. It said that the National Medical Commission (NMC), the body that governs and regulates medical education in our country, has decided to bring in a rule that restricts the maximum time allowed for an undergraduate medical student to complete the MBBS course, to ten years.

This time frame is supposed to also include the mandatory internship of one-year duration, that comes after passing the final year examination. There is a further stipulation that the first year of the MBBS course should be completed within a maximum period of four years.

Now, for those who do not know the background of this high-powered regulating body,...