New Delhi: A bill to replace the apex medical education regulator, Medical Council of India (MCI) with a new body, to ensure transparency, was introduced in the Lok Sabha.
Congress members protested the introduction of the National Medical Commission Bill by Health Minister JP Nadda, demanding that it be sent to the pariamentary standing committee for thorough scrutiny.
Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, however, chided them, saying they should follow parliamentary procedures and give prior notice to air their disagreement with the bill’s introduction.
Introducing the measure, Nadda said it incorporates suggestions made by a standing committee.
The bill provides for the constitution of four autonomous boards entrusted with conducting undergraduate and post- graduate education, assessment and accreditation of medical institutions and registration of practitioners under the National Medical Commission.
The bill states that the commission will have government nominated chairman and members, and the board members will be selected by a search committee under the Cabinet Secretary.
There will be five elected and 12 ex-officio members in the panel.
It also proposes a common entrance exam and licentiate exams which all medical graduates will have to clear to get practicing licences, the official said.
No permission would be needed to add new seats or to start post-graduate courses, it says.
The bill is aimed at bringing reform in the medical education sector which has been under scrutiny for corruption and unethical practices, government sources have said.
We wish the new NMC will enable well talented India educated or foreign educated graduates to practice in our country.Artificial barriers made by MCI to restrict DNB, FMG, Foreign postgraduates neither did serve our society as a whole nor the medical fraternity .Let us all work together for a better healthy India.
Very needed steps….but it would b very important to introduce certain measures reforms in pg education too…foremost being at least twice an year entry to pg courses if not online xam like periodically as in step exam.this will enourage n increase pool of specialised doctors who otherwie r caught in long wait….an year gap for next chance
Welcome NMC bill, we wish now the system would be much transparent, citizen friendly.
These were the lacuna of MCI:
1. Integrity questioned for reasons known to all of us.
2. Democratic process selected the most corrupt ones as they formed a medical mafia, they managed elections.
3.Certain problems were not questioned like recognition of foreign post graduate degrees( except of the 5 English speaking countries), problems relating to adequate accessment of medical colleges, grieviences of FMGs regarding unnecessary harassment , DNB holders being discriminated, excessive bureaucracy, putting false cases against genuine candidates, corruption( Supreme Court saying\” MCI is a den of corruption).
4. MCI being considered / perceived as an institution which served a particular lobby which dominated it for decades.
In short MCI did not fulfill the expectations , northern of the medical fraternity nor of the common citizen. Thus a good decision of Modi Government, we need NMC. Welcome NMC.
Government need not fear, we are with you.IMA another organisation which needs to be banned has no right to speak on our behalf when they publicly appreciate certain personalities whose integrity has been questioned.
IMA do not represent the medical fraternity.It\’s a group of doctors with their wested interests. No we do not want elected MCI. We want honest system, system which is citizen friendly, doctor friendly.
Exit exam will prolong the MBBS course, some will be left with no degree and coaching centers will mushroom
There should be a provision to recognise foreign quality post graduate degrees apart from the existing 5 English speaking countries.. Many Indian foreign post graduates degree holders ( for example with qualifications from EU) cannot practice as post graduates as present regulations does not allow specialist registration to foreign postgraduates. We are in bare need of speciality doctors especially in specialisations like clinical oncology, medical oncology, radiation oncology.
At least in these deficit specialities we should allow post graduate degrees from foreign countries.Reputed foreign degrees from EU should also be recognised.