LS clears Bill to supersede Medical Council

New Delhi: The tainted Medical Council of India (MCI) would soon be replaced with a new body — National Medical Commission (NMC) — which would ensure greater transparency, accountability and quality in governing medical education in the country.

This was facilitated by the passage of the Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Bill 2019 in Lok Sabha through voice vote on Tuesday.

This bill provides for supercession of MCI for a period of two years with effect from September 26, 2018, during which the board of governors will run it.

It will replace an Ordinance promulgated on February 21, 2019.

In other words, the Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Bill is the first step towards gradually replacing the MCI, the much maligned governing body of the medical fraternity with NMC.

Health minister Harsh Vardhan said that it will usher in comprehensive reforms in the sector. The minister informed Lok Sabha that the government is working on the NMC bill and “will soon take it to union cabinet and then in Parliament”.

He said the NMC bill, which was introduced in December, 2017, lapsed with the dissolution of the 16th Lok Sabha.

On the Medical Council (Amendment) Bill, the minister said that the board of governors (BoG) which had replaced the MCI has worked well and taken a series of steps to improve medical education in the country.

The BoG has granted accreditation to more number of medical collges, increased number of seats and reduced procedural hurdles, he said, adding it is manned by doctors of great repute.

“This is just  abegining of our work and you will see radical reforms in the medical education of the country,” he said.

The MCI was set up under the Medical Council Act 1956, for setting standards for medical professionals, new medical colleges and revision of curriculum, among others.