Union cabinet has approved the National Medical Commission Bill 2019. The Bill provides for setting up of a NMC in place of MCI and repeal of the Indian Medical Council Act 1956.

Salient features

• The Common final year MBBS exam to be known as National Exit Text (NEXT) would serve as licentiate exam, for entrance to PG medical course and as screening test for foreign medical graduates.
• The Bill provides that the national entrance test (NEET), common counselling and NEXT shall also be applicable to Institutes of National Importance (INIs) like AIIMS to have common standards in the country.
• The Commission will regulate fee and all other charges for 50% seats in private medical colleges and deemed universities.
• The Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) will conduct assessment to the medical college and develop a system of ranking of medical colleges which would enable the students to choose the medical college wisely.
• These measures will ensure a transparent admission process and also bring down the admission fee.

Implementation

• National Medical Commission will have four autonomous Boards, namely Undergraduate medical examination board, postgraduate medical examination board, Medical Assessment and Rating Board and Ethics and Medical Registration Board.
• NMC and the respective Boards will ensure a dynamic and modern educational environment, decreasing the emphasis on physical infrastructure, achieving the norms in global standards and an effective grievance redressal mechanism.
• Greater representation to the elected members through State Medical Councils has been provided in the Medical Advisory Council and the Commission.
• The strength of Autonomous Boards has been increased from 3 to 5 and it includes 2 part-time members. One of them will be a doctor selected by the Government and the other will be an elected doctor from State Medical Council.
• The Medical Assessment and Rating Board will grant permission for new medical colleges, starting of PG Course and increase of seats based on the standards set by the UG and PG Boards.
• The annual renewal permission for new medical colleges before recognition is being done away with.

Dr KK Aggarwal

Padma Shri Awardee

President Elect Confederation of Medical Associations in Asia and Oceania   (CMAAO)

Group Editor-in-Chief IJCP Publications

President Heart Care Foundation of India

Past National President IMA