Mid-Day Impact: Virginity test removed from MBBS syllabus

Heeding objections highlighted in a mid-day report, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has revised the MBBS syllabus related to virginity test and the LGBTQIA community. The revised guidelines for Competency Based Medical Education (CBME) curriculum 2024-25 by the Under Graduate Medical Education Board (UGMEB) was released on September 12, by the NMC secretary. mid-day was the first to raise the issue in its report titled ‘Virginity test finds its way back into medical syllabus' dated September 3, 2024.

The new modified CBME asks to teach, describe, and discuss how signs of virginity are unscientific, inhuman, and discriminatory. Representation Pic

The MBBS syllabi for second and third-year announced by NMC for academic year 2024-2025, has skipped a major modification in the syllabus curriculum recommended by an expert committee in relation to LGBTQIA+ and virginity, as per the directives of Madras High Court. The skip irked a few committee members, who had recommended the changes, and they learnt about the skip on Saturday August 31. Dr Indrajit Khandekar, professor of forensic medicine, MGIMS, Sevagram, (also part of the expert panel) had red-flagged the oversight in the process of finalising the NMC syllabus. The NMC had reverted to the unscientific and discriminatory information regarding virginity and the LGBTQIA community that had been done away in 2022.

Prompt action by NMC

Dr Khandekar initiated the fight to ban virginity tests, including finger tests, in India in 2011. He brought the anomaly to the notice of Dr Aruna Vanikar, president, Under Graduate Medical Board, NMC. She immediately realised the gravity of the issue and assured Dr Khandekar that she would look into this matter immediately. He (Dr Khandekar) also brought this fact to the notice of Dr Sandeep Kadu, chairman of the CBME drafting committee for the subject of forensic medicine and toxicology, who also acted very promptly. Dr Khandekar also forwarded the necessary modifications needed in the newly released CBME about the virginity test and LGBTQIA community to the NMC and Dr Kadu. The changes suggested by Dr Khandekar were promptly made by NMC.

Changes made

The new modified CBME asks to teach, describe, and discuss how signs of virginity (so-called virginity tests, including finger tests on female genitalia) are unscientific, inhuman, and discriminatory. It also asks to describe and discuss how to appraise the courts about the unscientific basis of these tests if the court orders it, said Dr Khandekar. "It has also removed sodomy from the unnatural sexual offence category. It has also described the history of decriminalisation of adultery and consensual adult homosexual behaviour," said the doctor.

Classification of offences

"The classification of sexual offences has also been removed. It now describes various sections of BNS and BNSS related to the definition of rape, medical examination of rape victim/survivor and accused of rape, police information by the doctors, and medical care, with recent amendments notified till date. In earlier guidelines, medical graduates were taught a lot of sections of IPCs and CrPCs in relation to rape.

The new modified CBME has only five sections - 63 and 200 of BNS; 397, 184, and 52 of BNSS. These sections are related to the doctors while performing their duty as medical practitioners," said Dr Khandekar. "The outdated or obsolete words like sexual perversion are removed, and it has aptly used the word paraphilic disorder, and it has also asked to differentiate it from the paraphilias," he said.