Gujarat IMA to oppose NMC bill, observe ‘black day’ today

The Indian Medical Association Gujarat branch will observe a black day on Tuesday to protest the National Medical Commission Bill that was tabled in the Lok Sabha.

The NMC Bill 2017 will replace the Medical Council of India (MCI), that has been in controversy over several allegations of corruption.

The IMA claimed that it has the support of over 25,000 doctors from the government and private sector as well as 10,000 medical students in the state.

Dr Bhupendra Shah, president of the IMA Gujarat Branch said that in its present form, the NMC is a pro private management and pro-rich bill that will pave the way for widespread corruption.

“It removes all regulations that were in place before a medical college starts functioning. If passed, the bill allows for any private medical college to raise its undergraduate and post graduate seats on its own,” said Shah.

The association said the new bill makes provisions for only 40 per cent seats  in a private medical college to be regulated as far as fee was concerned while for the rest, the private colleges are free to fix the rates.

It further said that the penalty of Rs5 crore to Rs100 crore will also open the floodgates of corruption.

Shah said the provisions of the bill will make medical education in the country expensive . “Moreover the new norms will allow any foreign doctor to practice in India without any restriction as it does away with the screening test for foreign medical graduates,” he said.

Some other contentions with the bill include representation of just five states at any given point in time in the NMC, bringing the state medical councils under the NMC.