Teaching of the basic sciences in medicine: Changing trends.

A number of medical schools throughout the world have tried to downsize the basic sciences, but studies have shown that teaching of basic sciences is of importance for the clinical years that lie ahead. While some students endorse this finding, others want instruction in these sciences to be limited in terms of content and time. With the increasing cost of medical education and healthcare, medical schools the world over are trying to contain expenditure on the teaching of the basic sciences. In India, too, instruction in these sciences has been curtailed. This trend may need to be reviewed and the new challenges in this area must be addressed.