The Union Cabinet on Friday cleared the long-awaited National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill, 2017, putting to rest the controversy-ridden Medical Council of India (MCI). The Bill for the formation of the new apex medical regulator is likely to be placed in the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament.
“The MCI will be replaced, and a National Medical Commission Bill has been brought. This is to correct the whole medical ecosystem,” law and Justice Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters after the Cabinet meeting.
According to Government sources, the National Medical Commission Bill 2017 envisages a four-tier structure for the regulation of medical education, with a 20-member National Medical Commission at the top comprising a chairperson, nine ex-officio members, 10 part-time members and five elected doctors.
It will regulate medical education with the Government having the right to give binding directions. The draft Bill provides for the constitution of four autonomous boards entrusted with conducting undergraduate and postgraduate education, assessment and accreditation of medical institutions and registration of practitioners under the National Medical Commission, the sources said.
The draft Bill also proposes a common entrance exam and licentiate exam, which all medical graduates will have to clear to get practicing licences, the official said.
As per the provisions of the draft Bill, no permission would be needed to add new seats or to start postgraduate courses.
The deterrence for non-compliance with maintenance of standards is in terms of monetary penalty.
The draft Bill is aimed at bringing reforms in the medical education sector which has been under scrutiny for corruption and unethical practices, the sources said.
According to the sources, the new structure will ensure that the Government has more leverage. “This will also prevent the system from descending into the present state, where the MCI and Government are often at loggerheads on many issues,” the sources added.