Homoeopathy doctors may soon take a bridge course and practise allopathy

For all system of AYUSH, a minimum of 50 per cent marks has to be obtained by candidates to be eligible for admission to undergraduate courses

The practitioners of Ayush (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy) could soon be allowed to practise modern (allopathic) medicine. The National Medical Commission Bill 2017 has proposed a bridge course to enable them to do so. 

Tabled in the Lok Sabha on Friday, the new Bill provides for the constitution of four autonomous boards entrusted with conducting undergraduate and postgraduate education, assessment and accreditation of medical institutions and registration of practitioners under the National Medical Commission.

The commission will have government nominated chairman and members, and the board members will be selected by a search committee under the Cabinet Secretary. There will be five elected and 12 ex-officio members in the panel.

It also proposes a common entrance exam and licentiate exams which all medical graduates will have to clear to get practising licences, the official told PTI.

There are two statutory regulatory bodies namely — Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM) and Central Council of Homoeopathy (CCH) — set up as per the provision of Indian Medicine Central Council Act, 1970 and Homoeopathy Central Council Act, 1973 respectively, that regulate education and practice of AYUSH systems of medicine through its regulations.

From upcoming academic session, it will be mandatory for those seeking admission in AYUSH's undergraduate courses to clear the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET).

"However, we are still exploring whether to merge the entrance exam with NEET or to have our own common entrance exam," the official told PTI.

For all system of AYUSH, minimum 50 per cent marks have to be obtained by the candidates to be eligible for admission in undergraduate courses.

The draft National Medical Commission Bill which seeks to replace the existing apex medical education regulator Medical Council of India (MCI) with a new body also calls for a licentiate exam which all medical graduates will have to clear to get practicing licences.

Medical graduates willing to procure a licence to practise Indian medicine systems, including Ayurveda, may soon have to clear an exit exam, according to the National Medical Commission Bill.