The NMC or National Medical Commission Bill 2019 has recently been passed from Lok Sabha on 29th July and is ready to be passed in Rajya Sabha too. The fraternity of doctors is protesting massively against the bill, however, it seems the government and the doctors are bound to clash. We explore the key points of NMC bill 2019 pdf as we try to explain you why it is a disaster for the entire medical community in India.
We have been following news of EXIT exam since years, but the bill was thought to never pass at first stage. And when the rumors have become alive, the ones preparing day and night for Post-Graduation after MBBS are furthermore in stress. We have made a quick review on the updates of NMC Bill 2019 below:
1. The National Medical Commission Bill was introduced in Lok Sabha in July 22, 2019 by Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Minister of Health and Family Welfare, to replace the 63-year old MCI which was alleged to be full of corruption.
2. The Commission or the Board is to be of 25 members, who will be appointed by central government. The Bill has to be regulated within 3 years of passing, and state governments will establish State Medical Councils at the state level.
3. Apart from the basic functioning of NMC board, it will also frame guidelines for determination of fees of up to 50% seats in private colleges and universities.
4. So far, the Ayush Doctors through Bridge course has not been included in the bill after the previous wide-spread protest by MBBS doctors, however, they have not withdrawn completely and has been proposed in Lok Sabha. It will allow mid-level practitioners to prescribe for a limited level, however for others, they will need to be supervised under Registered Medical Practitioners.
5. There will be a uniform National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEXT exam) for admission to under-graduate and post-graduate education. All MBBS graduates after finishing they 5.5 years of graduation will be required to give NEXT exam to practice as physicians and register themselves in the state board, while also applying for the PG courses with the rank. In short, NEXT exam will serve as both providing license to practice and Post-Graduation after finishing final prof of MBBS.
6. It also has been postulated to regard final prof marks as the basis for admission to PG courses, however, this has not been clear so far.
We saw a protest by IMA leaders including Dr. Santanu Sen, IMA President, and thousands of students against the NMC bill. However, they were arrested by the police outside the Nirman Bhawan in Delhi, and medical community called it a black day.
IMA President Dr. Santanu Sen being arrested with other students at Nirman Bhawan, Delhi
Dr. Santanu Sen with other students arrested for protesting against NMC Bill 2019
There is nothing government can do when reservation protests are done, there is nothing when a doctor is beaten in the hospital, but yes, the government can call arrest of every single doctor protesting peacefully against a stupid bill that aims at destroying the medical community in India. Do we really need to NEXT exam after MBBS just to show we are eligible to work as doctors after 5.5 years of hard work? Why not same criteria for other services? Why not same for politicians drowned in countless criminal cases?
We are currently looking forward to this grave issue, while IMA has announced a wide-spread strike by withdrawal of non-emergency services all over in India on 31st July 2019. The strike will be peaceful as it was last time, when doctors demanded from government the safety at work after the incident at West Bengal. A Bench of Justices Deepak Gupta and Surya Kant said there was no urgency in the matter as the strike had been called off.
Do you support the notion of bringing this NMC Bill 2019 into act or you stand against it? Share your opinions in the comments below.