On Monday, members of the Telangana Junior Doctors Association (TJUDA) staged a protest against the National Medical Commission (NMC) at the Osmania General Hospital (OGH) and Osmania Medical College (OMC) by wearing black badges. The protest was staged for an hour from 9 am to 10 am during which doctor’s boycotted their elective duties.

On Monday, the NMC bill, which seeks to substitute the 63-year-old Medical Council of India (MCI) and set up the National Medical Commission to improve India’s medical education system, was listed in Lok Sabha. Dr P S Vijayender, chairman, TJUDA said that uniform standards in medical education cannot be ensured with just one exam as the profession is about clinical skills, and by conducting the National Exit Test (NEXT) the government is only examining the candidates’ theoretical skills. Also, allowing AYUSH doctors, dental and nursing staff to practice modern medicine through the introduction of bridge course could encourage quackery.

Dr Vijayender further said that with less faculty and poor infrastructure in medical colleges in Telangana, paving way for more colleges will damage the profession. The fee for just 50% of the medical seats in private medical colleges would be regulated and the remaining seats would be left to the private management, thus benefiting only the private colleges.