New Delhi: The National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill, which seeks to change the 63-year Medical Council of India (MCI) for improving the medical sector in India, was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday.
A bill introduced by Health Minister Harsh Vardhan also attempts to abrogate the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956, which states that this council is corrupt. It has been alleged that MCI had made the process of regulating medical colleges inaccurate. Opposition members objected to the provisions like exit examination and replaced the elected members with nominated members in the proposed Commission. He alleged that the law was against the spirit of federalism.
Here’s all about the National Medical Commission (NMC) bill:
The NMC Bill wants to replace the Medical Council of India with the National Medical Commission as the top regulator of medical education in India. An attempt has been made to conduct a general entrance test and license examination in this bill, which all medical graduates must clarify for obtaining a practice license. The Bill also provides for the preparation of national standards in the uniform of medical education, in which it has been proposed that the final year MBBS examination is considered as a screening test for an entrance examination for PG and students graduating abroad. is.
It will also maintain a four-level structure for the regulation of medical education. The 20-member National Medical Commission will be on top of this structure.
The NMC will be a 20-member body consisting of one president, one member secretary, eight ex-officio members and 10 part-time members. Of the eight ex-officio members, the four boards will be designated as the Chairman and the remaining four will be nominated by the three ministries. One from Directorate of Health, Pharmaceuticals, Human Resources Development and Health Services.
There is a general entrance examination and a license for exit exam in the bill, that medical graduates must pass before practising PG courses or following them. For MBBS, students have to clear NEET, and before they practice, they have to pass the exit exam.
NMC may allow medical professionals to undergo surgery or practice without the eligibility of a national license test in those circumstances which can be specified in the rules. According to the NMC Bill, Ethics and Medical Registration Board can maintain a separate national register, in which names of licensed AYUSH doctors will be. The names of graduates of Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery and Bachelor of Homeopathic Medicine and Surgery are already registered with their respective councils and after taking the bridge course, they will be included in a separate register made by NMC, resulting in two registration Councils, which are neither open nor permissible. Under the National Medical Commission (NMC), the government can set guidelines for fees up to 40 per cent in private medical colleges. The purpose of this is to provide relief to the additional fees the students receive from these colleges and this is a permanent feature of the bill. So far, all the admissions are done through NEET and no license is required for practice, but a medical practitioner has to register for it with a State Medical Council.
Why is the Medical Council of India being changed?
A parliamentary panel, who had seen this case, recommended the reconstitution and re-determination of the regulatory system of medical education and behaviour. “When the parameters given to MCI were tested (making sure doctors follow, quality standards etc.) have been found to have repeatedly been found to meet their mandatory responsibilities. The quality of medical education in our country is not good The current model of medical education is the product of the right type healthcare professionals catering to the basic health needs of the country.
What are the changes in the 2019 bill?
There are two important changes after the recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare (109th Report in 2018) One, it has left a separate exit exam. Two, it has dropped the provision that allowed physicians of homoeopathy and Indian medicine to preserve allopathy medicines after a bridge course.
What are the worries?
Indian Medical Association (IMA) – India’s leading body representing the medical fraternity is opposing the NMC Bill, who attempts to change the Medical Council of India (MCI), says that it “Anti-poor and anti-student” and only cosmetic changes have occurred in the current edition, as the main concerns raised by the medical fraternity are still unheard of. Since its inception in the Parliament, the medical fraternity has raised objections against the bill against the burning of thousands of copies in different organizations across the country.
The IMA is also opposing other provisions in the bill, in which the decision to add NET and NEET and the NMC includes regulation of fees for 50% seats in private medical colleges and deemed universities.
