The “National Medical Commission” (NMC) bill was piloted for establishing NMC as the primary medical education regulator in the country.
While multiple clauses in the bill faced opposition, the government has now made important changes to the bill.
What is the NMC bill?
Government intends to replace current medical education regulator “Medical Council of India” (MCI) with “National Medical Commission” (NMC).
While this the first major reform in medical education since 1956, there was considerable opposition to some of the structural changes proposed.
Subsequently, a parliamentary standing committee had suggested about a dozen changes to the bill.
The union cabinet has present made 6 changes that will address the most contentious issue in the bill.
What were the changes ushered in?
The amendments - The exit exam for doctors that was in the initial draft has now been merged with the final year MBBS exam.
The bridge course to enable traditional medical practitioners (AYUSH doctors) to practice Allopathic medicine has now been axed.
But interestingly, the current proposal has delegated the freedom for implementing an AYUSH bridge course to the states if they desire to.
State representation in the NMC was increased from 3 part-time members to 6, while the parliamentary committee had recommendation for 10.
Retained clauses - While there were calls for reducing government control over the NMC, the amendments haven’t much in this regard.
Appointments to NMC will be made by a search committee headed by the Cabinet Secretary, which strongly curtails the body’s independence.
The bill still retains the central government as the appellate body for those aggrieved by NMC decisions in contrast to the recommendation for constituting an independent authority.
Also, the clamour for raising the proportion of “fee regulated seats” in private colleges from 40% to 50% hasn’t been approved.
Additionally, the no strings attached “fee structure” for unregulated seats could make medical education too costly even for the middle classes.
How does the future look?
Despite the deficiencies, the legislation is promising and will mark the beginning of a new era for medical education in India.
Design appropriate sub-rules for implementing the law will also be a challenge due to the vast differences in the medical sector between states.
It would be logistically difficult to conduct a common final year MBBS exam as it has to be a comprehensive test rather than a mere multiple choice paper.
Lawmakers will have to tackle this gigantic task in a slow and phased manner in order to ensure quality and also enhance number of doctors.
The coming days may see more protests against the Bill, perhaps delaying its passage and prompting further discussion.
