The National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill was introduced in Lok Sabha today i.e. on July 22, 2019. The Bill seeks to replace the 63-year-old Medical Council of India (MCI) to reform the medical sector in India.
The Bill was introduced by Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, and seeks to repeal the Indian Medical Council Act 1956, stating that the Council set up under it was corrupt. It has also been alleged that the process by which the MCI regulated medical colleges was flawed.
Interestingly, the new Bill has the provision for making national standards in medical education uniform by proposing that the final year MBBS exam be treated as an entrance test for PG and screening test for students who graduated in medicine from foreign countries. This exam will be known as the National Exit Test (NEXT).
Currently, different medical colleges have different MBBS exam patterns which means there is no surety of the quality of the medical graduate passing out of MBBS.
The NMC proposal is to ensure a uniform national pattern for final year MBBS exam so that all medical graduates who get the licence to practice conform to uniform national standards and quality.
Adding to it, the Bill also puts a cap on fees on 50 per cent of seats in MBBS and PG colleges. The NMC will be a 29 member body comprising of 20 members selected through nomination, and nine through election. The government believes, once they conform and are permitted to operate, there would be no need for annual renewals.
