Rajya Sabha approves NMC Bill amidst doctors' protest across nation

Rajya Sabha on Thursday passed the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill for replacing the corruption-plagued MCI with a new body, in what was described by the government as one of the biggest reforms for medical education in the country. The Lok Sabha had on July 29 passed the NMC Bill 2019.

The NMC Bill which seeks to repeal the Indian Medical Council Act 1956 was passed by a voice vote, amid a walkout by AIADMK and protests by a number of doctors in New Delhi.

Several doctors were detained by the Delhi Police while they were marching towards Parliament to protest the passage of Bill in the Rajya Sabha. When the House was debating the bill, several IMA wings, medical students held protests and marched towards Parliament, demanding the government to withdraw the bill.

Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, in his reply, on the debate on the bill, tried to address their apprehension, saying that he himself fought for the rights of doctors and to maintain the sanctity of this profession and hence, he said, there was "no need for any apprehension".

Harsh Vardhan said that NEET is already an institutionalised body which is conducting examinations in 13 languages.

"Once the NMC Bill is approved, exit examination will be implemented in the next three years," Harsh Vardhan said. The minister said NEET counselling is completely transparent and thanked senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad for his "valuable suggestions".

The bill also has a 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 a screening test for students who graduate in medicine from foreign countries.

This exam, called the National Exit Test (NEXT), would ensure that the proposed National Medical Commission (NMC) moves away from a system of repeated inspections of infrastructure and focuses on outcomes rather than processes, Harsh Vardhan said.

The Congress and Samajwadi Party (SP) on Thursday urged the government to withdraw a provision in the NMC Bill that aims to provide license to 3.5 lakh unqualified non-medical persons to practise modern medicine, saying it will "institutionalise quackery."

The bill was moved by Harsh Vardhan for passage in the Rajya Sabha despite stiff protest from the medical fraternity who fear it would lead to deterioration of medical education and degradation of healthcare services.

Suggesting three key amendments to the bill while initiating a debate in Rajya Sabha, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh urged the government to drop a provision which he said will "legalise quackery" under Section 32 of the bill and refer it to a Select Committee because this provision was not in the original bill that was vetted by a Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health.

Besides, he said the current representation of members in the NMC is against the interest of states. Currently, the bill provides for representation of 14 members each from the Centre, six members from states and five to be elected from a medical background.

With this kind of representation, southern states like Telangana and Andhra Pradesh will get an opportunity once in 12 years, he said and suggested the government increase state representation to 15 at least in the commission.

Lastly, Ramesh demanded the government to amend a clause to ensure the NMC regulates fee for up to 75 per cent seats in private medical colleges and deemed universities instead of 50 per cent seats proposed in the bill.

"This provision will open floodgates to privatisation in medical education. I believe in privatisation. But I do not believe in privatisation in medical education," he said and urged members irrespective of political party affiliation to support his amendments.

Noting that the intent of the bill is noble but the content is dangerous, Ramesh said, "Let us focus on content" and urged members irrespective of party affiliation to support his amendments

There are 76,000 MBBS seats in the country, out of which 40,000 in government colleges and 36,000 in the private sector. Out of 36,000 seats, 30,000 seats are in private colleges and the rest 6,000 seats in deemed universities, he added.

Supporting Ramesh's amendment on scrapping Section 32 of the bill, Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav - who examined the bill as chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health -- said this provision needs to be removed.