Relevance of the Flexner report for medical education in India

ABSTRACT

Medicine is one of the oldest professions and has certain professional imperatives and rules. Training of medical professionals is prolonged and often intense and also expensive. It is strongly influenced by cultural values and context and social needs. Over one hundred years ago Abe Flexner reviewed the medical school training in the USA and made some clear recommendations. We believe that some of these observations have a key role to play in medical education at the present time in India. In this brief editorial we raise some of the pertinent factors.