The National Medical Council (NMC) Bill is a much-needed reform to transform the corrupt and ill-structured Medical Council of India (MCI) which has made the medical society incompetent and weak. This new dawn has sent shock waves within the medical fraternity, which was very comfortable with the old fraudulent, substandard system. If one understands the true nature of this new bill many doubts among the medical fraternity will easily fade away.
For many decades, voices have echoed to reorganize the structure of the MCI which has continuously succumbed to the pressure of the rich. From getting a licence to starting new medical colleges, or hospitals to maintaining a NO-Competition NO-Progress theory, Red tape had left no way forward for innovation and growth of medical research.
The Parliamentary Health Committee in its report, stated “Any attempt at overhauling the regulatory framework will face huge challenges from the deeply entrenched vested interests who will try to stall and derail the entire exercise.”
The report was honest and straightforward. Without misleading the facts it rightly stated there’s a need for a complete overhaul of medical administration in the country. It summarized all the ills and anomalies of MCI. It stated, “To sum up, the Committee observes … that the need for major institutional changes in the regulatory oversight of the medical profession in the country is so urgent that it cannot be deferred any longer. The Committee is, however, aware that any attempt at overhauling the regulatory framework will face huge challenges from the deeply entrenched vested interests who will try to stall and derail the entire exercise. But if the medical education system has to be saved from total collapse, the Government can no longer look the other way and has to exercise its constitutional authority.” Today, vested interests have put all their energy to mislead the medical fraternity and create havoc in the public.
NMC bill – Deception by ‘The Mafia’, A COCK AND BULL STORY
- Those practising Ayurveda, Homeopathy and Unani will be allowed to practice ‘Limited Allopathy’ after completing a bridge course, this bridge course would allow them to prescribe for minor diseases in primary health centres. Indian Medical Association (IMA) fears that this will aid the ill-trained practitioners to enter the medical system.
- In its original form, the bill had made a provision for an ‘Exit test’, which was required to get a licence and practice after obtaining an MBBS degree. But after considering the suggestions of students a new provision was included which made the final year MBBS exam itself as the eligibility test for gaining licence and to practice medicine in India. The exam would be conducted uniformly throughout the nation. Doctors claimed that this would put unnecessary strain on the young minds and would decrease the number of practitioners in rural areas.
- The NMC will consist of 25 members. A Search Committee will recommend names to the central government for the post of Chairperson, and the part time members. However, doctors are of the opinion that this will take away the power from state councils and would weaken the federal structure.
- This new bill also has got a provision that for 50% of the seats in private colleges and deemed universities, the fee structure will be determined by the government. The remaining 50% has been left to private colleges and deemed universities to regulate. IMA has argued that this will in future lead to sale of medical seats for crores and would abandon the lower socio-economic class from medical profession.
50,000 foreign medical graduates are in line to enter the profession
In dealing with disease, think of disordered function as much as of damaged structure – James Alexander Lindsay
NMC bill – Factual truth and reality
- Bridge course provision is included to address the scarcity of doctors by integrating various forms of medicine so that minor diseases could be treated at primary health centers. But after genuine concerns ministry has amended the bill and the decision in this regard has been left up to the respective state governments. As per a John Hopkins-PHFI study, primary health specialists are as effective as doctors in curing common diseases at primary health centers. This will also reduce the strain on experts and reduces cases of minor diseases reaching multi-specialty hospital.
- ‘Exit test’ is mandatory to get a licence to practice medicine in all the major powers – United states, Canada, United kingdom, China, Singapore and all European countries. These standardized tests that assesses a med student’s ability to apply knowledge, concepts, and principles, and to determine fundamental patient-centered skills that are important in health and disease and that constitute the basis of safe and effective patient care. So the rich can’t buy medicine like some object.
- MCI constitutes of 130 members, they are practically running a bazaar(market) and not a prime institution. Few doctors who are part of this institution do not want to give up their dominance and their authoritative attitude has cost country dearly. GMC, a counterpart of the MCI in the United Kingdom has 12 member who are physicians and other six are non-doctors. In the NMC, of the 25 members 21 are doctors, with key executive decision-making body being reserved for doctors. The role of doctors will been preserved. This bill will rescue the Institution from the exclusive control of very few Mafia controlled doctors.
- The NMC bill has provisioned that for 50% of the seats in private colleges and deemed universities, the fee structure will be determined by the government. In the MCI, it is 40%. The remaining 50% has been left to private colleges and deemed universities to regulate. This has been done so as to encourage LEGIT Private firms to open new medical colleges, this will increase total number of medical seats and decrease the sale of seats. This new competition among private firms will also decrease the cost of a medical seat reserved for private institutes.
- And finally, the proposed bill will the end of monopoly on sale of medical seats in the private institutes. The point is, ‘Final year exit exam‘ will evaluate 50 thousand medical graduates passing out from Indian institutes and also the same number of Indian medical graduates coming from foreign institutions. So this will give every school student an option of studying in a foreign medical institute which has a far lesser tuition fee than any Indian private institute. This competition will increase the quality of education and learning of every med student. And normalize the patient doctor ratio which is now skyrocketing.
‘Tis strange — but true; for truth is always strange; Stranger than fiction. – LORD BYRON
Mainstream media, public and the social media is being misled by the vested interest. As a regular reader of YouthKiAwaaz, I was surprised reading an article influenced by vested interests and the reality has been under the mask in this article. Doctors fraternity is trying to liquidate the much-needed reform. All previous governments at have succumbed to such pressure. Will J.P.Nadda, Union Health Minister, and Modi government end up doing the same or will they succeed in this mission? Mr.Rahul Gandhi on No-confidence motion referred to many such links of vested interests with the Modi regime. This session will answer all such questions. A vast campaign on this issue must start against these colossal amount of forces to expose the truth in public. Jai Hind.