A statement issued by IMA claimed the Bill would legalise quackery by empowering community health providers to practise medicine. (Representative Image)The emergency action committee of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Wednesday decided to oppose the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill, 2019. The IMA has been fighting against the Bill since 2016 and says it has undergone only cosmetic changes since it raised its concerns. The core concerns raised by the IMA have not been addressed, said Dr Sanjay Patil, president of the Pune unit of IMA.
A statement issued by IMA claimed the Bill would legalise quackery by empowering community health providers to practise medicine. On the other hand, 50 per cent of MBBS graduates will not be allowed to practise modern medicine every year due to the coupling of NEET and NEXT (National Exit Test), it said.
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“The lack of vision and clarity in coupling NEXT and NEET is striking. While the Licentiate examination will license the minimum qualified person to practise medicine, NEET will be selecting the best students aspiring for postgraduate medical education. How the two objectives will be reconciled in a single examination is unknown,” Dr Patil claimed in the statement.
“Taking into account that more than 279 out of India’s 500-plus medical colleges are in the private sector and the eligibility criteria to open a medical college has been further diluted to include all companies and even private partnerships, the commercialisation of India’s medical education is complete. There has never been a blatant pro-rich bias of this intensity,” IMA officer-bearers stated.
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“The IMA is convinced that the NMC Bill requires serious mind application by Parliamentarians. It would strike the death knell of the medical profession in the current format. The IMA reserves the right to wage a struggle against this black law,” the statement added.
