Doctors, students to hold protest outside AIIMS, Nirman Bhavan against NMC Bill

Doctors and students from various medical hospitals and colleges will protest outside AIIMS and Nirman Bhavan on Monday against the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill.

The Indian Medical Association, the largest body of doctors and students in the country with around three lakh members, has given a call to all students across medical colleges to hold protests against the bill.

The IMA will hold a "Delhi Andolan" on July 29, which includes a march by the medical fraternity from Nirman Bhavan to Jantar Mantar, to demonstrate the imperative need for amendments in the bill.

Dr Santanu Sen, the national president of IMA, said the "government will have blood on its hands" if Section 32 of the NMC Bill 2019 is not removed.

He said the addition of Section 32 that legalises quackery by empowering community health providers to practice medicine will only endanger the lives of people.

Dr Rajan Sharma, national president elect of the IMA, said if Section 32 is not removed, 3.5 lakh community health providers will be legalised to prescribe drugs.

The IMA is also opposing other provisions in the bill, including the decision to couple NEXT and NEET and regulation of fee by the NMC for 50 per cent seats in private medical colleges and deemed universities.

"The NMC Bill compromises patient care and patient safety. It also violates the constitutional principles of right to democracy, federalism and equal opportunity," the IMA said in a statement.

Dr A Marthanda Pillai, chairman of IMA Action Committee, said if the Section 32 is not removed, core health parameters, including life expectancy will plummet and the nation will miss the SDG target set for 2030.

The bill proposes a common final year MBBS examination, to be known as National Exit Test (NEXT), for admission to post-graduate medical courses and for obtaining license to practice medicine.

It would also act as a screening test for foreign medical graduates, official sources said.

Besides this, the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), common counselling and the NEXT will be applicable to institutes of national importance like AIIMS in order to achieve a common standard in medical education sector in the country.