07/08/2019 - Government Policies

NMC will replace MCI.Though NMC has been brought to improve the standard of medical education in India, bring down the cost,having adequate number and quality of doctors in every part of India,there are some criticisms:

1. NMC can issue licenses to mid- level practitioners which can lead to quackery in the country.Though the government says that there aren't enough specialists in the country and this step can provide community healthcare in rural areas,but we cannot rely on quacks to solve this problem as it is a matter of people's lives.

2. Government can decide fees for only 50% of the seats in private and deemed universities.Earlier this could be done for 85% of the seats.

3. 80% of the members are to be nominated by the government.Apart from directors of ICMR,AIIMS etc. there might be government officials as well.There is no guarantee that they are going to be efficient.It would be better if the majority of members are democratically elected and are experienced doctors.

4. National Exit Examination holds disproportionate weightage for students and this can have an adverse impact on the careers of medical students.

5. Also,I don't see how doctor patient ratio in rural areas will be improved.

Kindly review

Please review and provide your feedback Sir.

The Medical Council of India was first established in 1934 under the Indian Medical Council Act, 1933.

Seeking sweeping reforms to medical education, largely opposed by the medical fraternity, the bill attempts to set up a regulatory body called the National Medical Commission in place of the tainted Medical Council of India (MCI).

The medical education system in India is set to witness significant changes as the National Medical Commission Bill, 2019 heads for implementation.

It is imperial to understand Why is Medical Council of India being replaced? to apprehend how it will bring transparency in indian medical education system.

1. The Medical Council of India (MCI) has repeatedly been found short of fulfilling its mandated responsibilities.

2. Quality of medical education is at its lowest ebb; the current model of medical education is not producing the right type of health professionals that meet the basic health needs of the country 

because medical education and curricula are not integrated with the needs of our health system.

3. Medical graduates lack competence in performing basic health care tasks like conducting normal deliveries; 

4. Instances of unethical practice continue to grow due to which respect for the profession has dwindled.

5. Compromised individuals have been able to make it to the MCI, but the Ministry is not empowered to remove or sanction a Member of the Council even if he has been proved corrupt.

Significance and the need:

1. The Bill seeks to regulate medical education and practice in India. 

2. The Bill attempts to tackle two main things on quality and quantity: Corruption in medical education and shortage of medical professionals in all parts of the country

3. The Bill aims to overhaul the corrupt and inefficient Medical Council of India, which regulates medical education and practice and replace with National medical commission.

Challenges ahead:

1. A bridge course allowing alternative-medicine practitioners to prescribe modern drugs is mentioned in the bill. Unscientific mixing of systems and empowering of other practitioners through bridge courses will only pave the way for substandard doctors and substandard medical practice. 

This will seriously impact patient care and patient safety

2. Indian Medical Association (IMA) opposed the bill that it will cripple the functioning of medical professionals by making them completely answerable to the bureaucracy and non-medical administrators. 

3. The bill takes away the voting right of every doctor in India to elect their medical council.

4. The bill allows private medical colleges to charge at will, nullifying whatever solace the NEET brought.

5. Standards have been laid down for MCI courses, but not for NBE courses which are often run in private hospitals and nursing homes.

6. It would replace an elected body (Medical Council of India, MCI) with one where representatives are “nominated.

KEY POINTS

·        Seeking sweeping reforms to medical education, the bill attempts to set up a regulatory body called the National Medical Commission in place of the tainted Medical Council of India (MCI).

·        The NMC will bring a very transparent era in medical education with eminent personalities running it for a single term of four years.

·        The NMC bill will provide for a medical education system that improves access to quality and affordable medical education, and ensures availability of adequate and high quality medical professionals in all parts of the country.

·        The NMC will bring in changes in the way medical colleges are assessed, MBBS entrance are conducted and bring in new provisions such as exit exams and regulation of course fees in private colleges.

·        Section 15 (1) of the bill proposes a common final-year MBBS exam, the National Exit Test (NEXT), before an individual starts practising medicine and for seeking admission to post-graduate medical courses and for enrolment in the state register or the national register.

·        The skill-based training during the internship period and MBBS course has been made competency-based. This is one of the ways to measure the outcome of medical education which wasn’t there earlier.

·        Now, students can focus on internship instead of preparing for PG exams. The NMC will frame guidelines for determination of fees and all other charges in respect of 50% of seats in private medical institutions and deemed to be universities which are governed under the provisions of this Act.

Criticisms

·        Licence to mid-level practitioners to practise modern medicine in primary and preventive care.

·        Section 32 that provides for licensing of 3,50,000 non-medical persons, or community health providers (CHPs), to practise modern medicine.

·        Doctors warn that the section will fuel quackery, and lead to untrained providers offering treatment to patients.

·        The NEXT results will determine the selection of students for post-graduate medical courses, and also provide qualifying graduates with a licence to practice medicine in India. This,  puts too much at stake in a single exam.

·        NMC, there is no clarity on what the nature of the common exam would be, since the purpose of all exams which are clubbed are completely different

·        NMC Bill which is being perceived as pro-private medical colleges is the clause of government regulating fewer seats in private medical colleges.

Kindly review, thank you..