Urging all members to pass the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill, 2019 unanimously, Minister for Health and Family Welfare Harsh Vardhan on Thursday said this legislation would be the biggest reform in the field of medical education.
The bill seeks to replace the corruption-plagued Medical Council of India (MCI) with a new body that will end corruption, rapid expansion of seat while also maintaining quality and growth in the medical education sector.
“This bill is not meant to create any inconvenience to medical students or practitioners in any ways but to facilitate them,” the minister said after tabling the bill in Rajya Sabha for consideration and passing.
He also assured the medical fraternity no injustice to be done to them since he is also a doctor. “There are some apprehensions raised by Indian Medical Association (IMA) and doctors and I can promise them it will be readdressed.
Alleging that the MCI in the past few decades was corrupt the minister said, “In 2010, there were stories of arrests of MCI officials. In 2013, the MCI was recreated. In 2014, with PM Modi, a new paradigm of zero tolerance towards corruption was started.”
The National Medical Commission has 25 members out of whom 21 are doctors. One board is exclusively for PG medical education, one for UG medical education, one to ensure that standards set by the other two boards are maintained in colleges, and another to ensure maintenance of ethics. He said the bill was discussed in standing committee on health and they gave 56 suggestions. Out of 56, 40 suggestions are fully accepted, 7 partly and 9 rejected.
