Listen to patients, don't surrender judgment solely to technology, says NMC chairman

CHENNAI: Cautioning newly graduated doctors against allowing technology to overshadow clinical judgement, National Medical Commission Chairman Abhijat Chandrakant Sheth on Monday stressed that human insight, professional competence and compassion must remain central to medical practice.

Delivering the convocation address at the 44th convocation of Bharath Institute of Higher Education and Research (BIHER), he urged graduates to listen carefully to patients, retain their independent clinical judgement and remain lifelong learners as advances in technology reshape healthcare.

"Never surrender your insights and clinical judgement to technology or tools; it is human insight, clinical judgement and professional capability that ultimately make a difference. Never lose sight of humanity, as compassion and concern for fellow human beings must remain at the heart of healthcare," Sheth said.

He noted that medicine was evolving rapidly with the advent of artificial intelligence, precision medicine, digital healthcare, data-driven research and robotics, and stressed that medical education must keep pace with changing healthcare needs. He also underscored the importance of interdisciplinary learning, research and collaborative approaches to patient care.

The university conferred degrees on 5,278 students for the 2025-26 academic year, comprising 148 PhD scholars, 667 postgraduate students and 4,463 undergraduate students.

BIHER Registrar S Bhuminathan said the university had introduced curriculum reforms aligned with the National Education Policy, focusing on multidisciplinary learning, experiential education, skill development and learner-centred teaching.

The university reported filing 1,406 patent applications and securing 97 patents, including six international patents, during the year. Its healthcare institutions also organised 41 conferences, 61 continuing medical education programmes and 384 community outreach activities, extending healthcare services and awareness to communities across the region.

He said the university had published 12,802 papers indexed in Scopus and 5,463 in Web of Science. It had also received Rs 16 crore in research funding from government and non-government agencies during 2025-26, supported by 431 memoranda of understanding with national and international institutions.