Rajya Sabha Passes National Medical Commission Bill

The Bill seeks to repeal the Indian Medical Council Act 1956 was passed by a voice vote, amid a walkout by AIADMK.

Doctors and medical students staged a protest against the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill that was passed today in the Upper House. 

(Photo: IANS)

Rajya Sabha on Thursday, 1 August, passed the National Medical Commission Bill for replacing the corruption-plagued MCI with a new body, in what was described by the government as one of the biggest reforms for medical education in the country.

The Bill that seeks to repeal the Indian Medical Council Act 1956 was passed by a voice vote, amid a walkout by AIADMK.

The Lok Sabha on 29 July had passed the National Medical Commission Bill 2019.

Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, in his reply, on the debate on the Bill said NEET is already an institutionalised body which is conducting examinations in 13 languages.

"Once the NMC Bill is approved, exit examination will be implemented in the next three years," the Minister said.

The Minister said NEET Counselling is completely transparent and thanked senior Congress leader Ghulab Nabi Azad for his valuable suggestions.

The bill also has a provision for making national standards in medical education uniform by proposing that the final year MBBS exam be treated as an entrance test for PG and a screening test for students who graduate in medicine from foreign countries.

This exam, called the National Exit Test (NEXT), would ensure that the proposed National Medical Commission (NMC) moves away from a system of repeated inspections of infrastructure and focuses on outcomes rather than processes, Vardhan said.