Number of nominees from States
and UTs in NMC increased from 3
to 6: responding to the demands
from states to increase their
representation in the NMC, the
nominees of States and UTs in the
NMC have been increased from 3
to 6. The NMC will comprise of 25
members of which atleast 21 will
be doctors. Monetary penalty for a
medical college non-compliant with
the norms replaced with provision
for different penalty options.
Another major concern gathered
during discussion with stakeholders
was the wide range of monetary
penalty, ranging from one half to
ten times the annual fee recovered
from a batch, to be imposed in a
graded manner on a medical college
non-compliant with the norms. The
clause has been replaced with a
provision which provides different
options for warning, reasonable
monetary penalty, reducing intake,
stoppage of admission leading up to
withdrawal of recognition. Stringent
Amendments among other things include:
final MBBS examination to be held as
a common exam across the country
and would serve as an exit test called
the National Exit Test (NEXT). Thus, the
students would not have to appear in a
separate exam after MBBS to get license
to practice. NEXT would also serve as the
screening test for doctors with foreign
medical qualifications to practice in India.
62
Volume 3 | Issue 3 | July-September 2018
punishment
for
unqualified
medical practitioners or quacks:
the government is concerned about
the quality and safety of health
care being made available to the
citizens and the need to act strictly
against unqualified practitioners
or quacks. The punishment for any
unauthorized practice of medicine
has been made severe by including a
provision for imprisonment of up to
one year along with a fine extending
up to Rs. 5 lakhs.
On the other hand, country’s apex
body of doctors Indian Medical
Association (IMA), which has
been on a nationwide march from
25th February 2018 to deprecate
the current form of the NMC Bill,
protested in Delhi in the last week of
March 2018 and held Mahapanchayat
at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi Stadium.
The IMA has strongly opposed the
draft Bill that seeks to replace the
Medical Council of India with a
new body, claiming it will cripple
the medical profession. "The
bill, which has the potential to
adversely alter the course of
medical education and healthcare
delivery in India, will also make
irrevocable damage if passed in
its current form," IMA's General
Secretary Dr. R N Tandon had
said. IMA’s National President,
Dr. Ravi Wankhedkar had
said, vehemently opposing the
commission, IMA has organized a
march across India.
Informatively, IMA, a self-
regulating body run by doctors,
has over 1,725 local branches
across the country and has held
simultaneous yatras across the
country to generate awareness
among masses. Earlier this month,
the IMA had organized a cycle
rally across India with an aim to
sensitize the masses about the issue.
According to the Bill, the government
can fix the fee for only 40 percent of
the seats in private medical colleges.
"As the remaining 60 percent of seats
does not come under the guidelines,
the colleges shall be charging the higher
fee. This clause is paradoxical in nature
and makes it pro-rich reservation
system," Dr. Tandon had said.
"If functional, this means that the
present ratio of 15 percent allotted
to private and deemed universities
for charging high fees stands
augmented to the entire 60 percent
which itself is a real travesty of its
kind," he added. The IMA is also
opposing the clause in the bill which
calls for allowing practitioners
of traditional medicine system to
pursue modern medicine.