Ensure scientific text in books on LGBT community, NMC to colleges

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, October 13

The National Medical Commission (NMC) has directed all medical institutions to amend the information about lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, virginity and homosexual in their textbooks. The NMC said it has been noted that the various textbooks of medical education mainly forensic medicine and toxicology and psychiatry subjects contains unscientific information about LGBTQIA (lesbian, gay, bisexual, homosexual etc) and also contain derogatory remarks about them.

In a letter, issued by the NMC today, it has suggested all medical universities, colleges and institutions that while teaching the MBBS, MD/MS and super-specialty students and whenever the issue of gender or similar kind arise, the mention of clinical history or complaints or signs/symptoms, examination findings or history about nomenclature shall not be taught in such a way that it become and perceived in any way derogatory, discriminatory or insulting to the LGBTQIA community.

The NMC instructed all authorities of the medical text books to amend the information about virginity, LGBTQIA community and homosexuals in their text books according to the available scientific literature, guidelines issued by the government and directions passed by the courts.

All medical universities, colleges and institutions have been requested not to approve books as recommended books by the university if the books have unscientific, derogatory and discriminatory information about LGBTQIA community, said Dr Anjula Jain, secretary, NMC.