Hyd doctors protest against NMC Bill, says 'Centre must remove objectionable clause'

Hyderabad: Doctors on Monday held a protest against the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill, 2019 here.

"We strongly condemned the NMC Bill. Clause 32 in the Bill is objectionable. And it should be completely removed. Clauses 51 and 52 are going to open doors to quackery and will damage public health. We request the government to withdraw these objectionable clauses," Dr Arjun, Chief Secretary Junior Doctor Association told ANI.

Doctors have also been raising their voices against sections 32 and 15 of the Bill pertaining to licensing of health providers and the entrance exam for post-graduate course/NEXT. They say that the Bill empowers Central government to override any suggestion of the NMC.

However, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan hailed the bill as "historic" and said that it will benefit doctors and medical students.

The NMC Bill will replace the Medical Council of India (MCI) by a National Medical Commission. It will decrease the representation of elected members from 75 per cent in MCI to 20 per cent in NMC.