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Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi said the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill, 2019, is a far-reaching reform in the medical field and seeks to correct the prevalent problems.
In an interview with news agency IANS, Prime Minister said that the NMC bill contains multiple reforms that curb avenues of corruption and boost transparency.
On August 1, the Rajya Sabha passed the NMC Bill, 2019, replacing the controversial Indian Medical Council (IMC), which aims to regulate medical education and practices in India.
The bill introduces some path-breaking provisions.
The National Medical Commission Bill of 2019 proposes to have four autonomous boards to take care of its different functions :
(i) Under-Graduate Medical Education Board to set standards and regulate medical education at undergraduate level
(ii) Post-Graduate Medical Education Board to set standards and regulate medical education at postgraduate level
(iii) Medical Assessment and Rating Board for inspections and rating of medical institutions, and,
(iv) Ethics and Medical Registration Board to regulate and promote professional conduct and medical ethics and also maintain national registers of (a) licensed medical practitioners and (b) Community Health Providers (CHPs).
(V) As for admissions and licensing, the Bill provides for a National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to all undergraduate and post-graduate “super-speciality” medical education, while providing for another one, National Exit Test (NEXT) for granting “license” to practice and admission to postgraduate “broad-speciality courses”.
(VI) The Bill also proposes for the NMC to “frame guidelines for determination of fee and other charges” for 50% of seats in private medical institutions and deemed to be universities. Currently, state governments determine fees for 85% of seats in such institutions and the rest are left for the management.
(VII) Other powers of the NMC include permission to establish new medical colleges, start post-graduate courses, increase the number of seats, recognition of medical qualifications in and outside India etc.