January 2026 was a special month for QMed Knowledge Foundation. We received recognition as an institution that could conduct webinars eligible for medical professionals to earn credit hours, subject to approval on a case-to-case basis by the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC).
We have been conducting workshops on literature searching and reference management for years. But this recognition opened up an interesting new opportunity – to take our training to more doctors, through webinars that could also earn them credit points.
It took us some time to actually get our first such webinar organised. We finally held it on September 26, 2026. And it turned out to be quite an interesting experience, with a few challenges, some pleasant surprises, and an unexpected administrative puzzle
Getting a Webinar Ready
There were a few requirements that we needed to learn about and comply with.
- We needed three speakers.
- The webinar had to be of a minimum duration of three hours.
- Each session needed to be at least 45 minutes long.
- The application had to be submitted at least 10 days in advance.
With several other priorities to handle, and all these requirements to take care of, it took us a while to get everything together.
One of the challenges was getting other speakers.
Our planned webinar was actually a workshop on PubMed searching. This is something we have been teaching for nearly two decades, and the contents have evolved very carefully over the years. Getting someone else to deliver our content seemed tough – not just for the others, but for us too!
We finally got two doctors to join me.
Dr Munjal Shah delivered one part of the program. We decided that he would do the slides, while I would speak alternately and demonstrate the searches live. This worked very well.
The other speaker, Dr Rajeev Joshi, talked about applying literature searches in medico-legal cases. We also had a small discussion involving all of us.
I am really delighted that both were happy to work with us. It was in fact Dr Rajeev Joshi (who I have known a couple of decades) who told me that I should apply for accreditation for webinars! And Dr Munjal Shah – I have known since he was a UG student – again for about a decade plus!
A Familiar Face to Begin With
We were fortunate to have Dr Avinash Supe, former Director of Medical Education and Hospitals, MCGM, at the beginning of the webinar.
I have known Dr Supe from the days when he was faculty at Seth GSMC & KEM Hospital. He subsequently became Dean of LTMMC and then KEM, before taking on the role of Director of Medical Education and Hospitals.
He has always been supportive of our programs and was kind enough to speak at the beginning of the webinar, stressing the importance of learning these skills.
It was particularly nice to have someone who had supported QMed over the years inaugurate this new initiative.
An Enthusiastic MMC Supervisor – and a Pleasant Surprise!
The session went off very well. We had a fair number of questions, and it was encouraging to see the interest among participants.
But one of the most interesting moments came at the end.
The supervisor assigned by the MMC, Dr Prashant Howal, mentioned that he was very happy when the MMC asked him to take on this specific task – because he himself wanted to learn this skill!
I felt very privileged!
Here was someone assigned to supervise a webinar who was also keen to learn what we were teaching. He appreciated the session, and I later had another meeting with him. We had some good discussions on the importance of these skills.
It was a lovely reminder that the need to learn structured literature searching is not limited to students or researchers. It is relevant to doctors too, irrespective of their seniority or experience.
The Speaker Code Puzzle!
There was one more interesting development.
Once a webinar is completed, an institution needs to submit details of all speakers and participants to the MMC.
When I went to submit the details, I ran into a block. The MMC website requires one to enter the Registered Medical Practitioner (RMP) number first. Once this is entered, the system automatically generates the Speaker Code and the name.
Now, I have a Speaker Code – but no RMP number! I am not a doctor, of course.
I alerted the MMC about this problem. They immediately understood what had happened and promised to work on it. It is taking time, but they have assured me that this would be addressed. They have also agreed that QMed can plan its next webinar right away.
I have explained this issue to all our participants, who have been very cooperative about waiting for their credit points.
Looking Ahead
I do feel very privileged that QMed has this recognition, and equally grateful that the MMC has been so helpful and understanding.
This is a significant milestone for us. We have spent years building our training programs, refining the contents, and teaching people how to search for relevant literature and manage references properly. Being able to offer these programs through webinars that can earn credit points is a wonderful opportunity. We hope to conduct many more such webinars and reach doctors across the country through this medium.
And, hopefully, the Speaker Code puzzle will be solved before our next one!
#QMed #MMCCreditPoints #MaharashtraMedicalCouncil #PubMed #LiteratureSearching #MedicalResearch #ResearchTraining
