Indian Medical Council to be replaced as Rajya Sabha passes NMC bill

The Indian Indian Medical Council (IMC) will be replaced with a National Medical Commission (NMC) as the upper house of the Parliament, Rajya Sabha has passed the National Medical Commission Bill, 2019 on Thursday. The Bill that seeks to repeal the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956 was introduced by the Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Harsh Vardhan in Lok Sabha on July 22, 2019, and was passed by it on July 29.

Union Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan said the Bill will benefit the MBBS students and doctors. It will be listed as a major reform of the Narendra Modi government.

Union Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill, 2019 passed in Rajya Sabha: This Bill will benefit the MBBS students and doctors. It will be listed as a major reform of the Narendra Modi government. pic.twitter.com/4nKnvmXSl3

— ANI (@ANI) August 1, 2019

The Bill seeks to replace Indian Medical Council (IMC) with a National Medical Commission (NMC) and within three years of the passage of the Bill, state governments will establish State Medical Councils at the state level. While the Medical Council of India (MCI) was an autonomous body with two-third of its members (160 plus) being directly elected by the medical fraternity, the new one would have 25 members with no directly elected member.

The Bill proposes for a uniform National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test for admission to under-graduate and post-graduate super-specialty medical education in all medical institutions regulated under the Bill. The NMC will specify the manner of conducting common counseling for admission in all such medical institutions.

The Bill also proposes a common final year undergraduate examination called the National Exit Test for the students graduating from medical institutions to obtain the license for the practice. This test will also serve as the basis for admission into post-graduate courses at medical institutions under this Bill.

was introduced by the Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Harsh Vardhan in Lok Sabha on July 22, 2019