Cabinet may clear modified NMC Bill

New Delhi: The suspense over modalities of controversial National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill is likely to be over soon as the proposed bill is in the agenda of discussion of the Union Cabinet, which is

scheduled to be held on Wednesday.

According to sources, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has incorporated 'suitable' suggestions of the Parliamentary Committee in the NMC Bill that may be approved by the Cabinet Committee, which is chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Notably, the Parliament Standing Committee on Health in its report had said that the 'bridge course', proposed in the NMC Bill, to allow practitioners of alternative medicines such as homoeopathy and ayurveda to practise allopathy, should not be made a mandatory provision.

The House Panel in its report had recommended conducting licensing exam in the fourth year of the MBBS course instead of exit exam to get a medical practitioner license.

On the adoption of suggestions by the panel, the sources said, "The proposed Bill has been drafted in such as way that it would help in addressing the acute shortage of doctors in the country, particularly in rural pockets."

"All 'necessary' suggestions of the House panel have been adopted in the proposed bill. The amendments would help in changing the negative perceptions attached to the medical profession as well as education," the sources added.

In the proposed NMC Bill, it has been proposed to conduct bridge course to allow practitioners of alternative medicines such as homoeopathy and ayurveda to practice allopathy.

The committee, which is headed by Samajwadi Party MP Ramgopal Yadav, had stated that conducting a separate examination to 'certify' an MBBS graduate's talent is like pointing fingers at standards of medical universities.