Amid Protests by medical fraternity, National Medical Commission Bill passed in Rajya Sabha

New Delhi: Amid nation-wide protests by the medical fraternity, Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Government moves National Medical Commission Bill (NMC) in Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

In essence, the bill provides for setting up a National Medical Commission (NMC) in place of the MCI to develop and regulate all aspects of medical education, profession and institutions in India.

The bill that seeks to repeal the Indian Medical Council Act 1956 was passed by a voice vote, amid a walkout by AIADMK.

On the other hand, Congress and Samajwadi Party urged the government to withdraw a provision in the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill that aims to provide license to 3.5 lakh unqualified non-medical persons to practice modern medicine, saying it will "institutionalize quackery".

It is to be noted that the Lok Sabha on July 29 had passed the National Medical Commission Bill 2019.

Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, in his reply, on the debate on the bill said NEET is already an institutionalized body which is conducting examinations in 13 languages.

"Once the NMC Bill is approved, exit examination will be implemented in the next three years," the Minister said.

The Minister said NEET Counselling is completely transparent and thanked senior Congress leader Ghulab Nabi Azad for his valuable suggestions.

Furthermore, the bill also has a provision for making national standards in medical education uniform by proposing that the final year MBBS exam be treated as an entrance test for PG and a screening test for students who graduate in medicine from foreign countries.

This exam, called the National Exit Test (NEXT), would ensure that the proposed National Medical Commission (NMC) moves away from a system of repeated inspections of infrastructure and focuses on outcomes rather than processes, Vardhan said.

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