GoM clears Bill to replace MCI with new medical body, Medical Graduates to face Exit Exam soon

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New Delhi, July 7, Posted on Tribune India: The Health Ministry has moved a Cabinet note on the Bill seeking to replace apex medical education regulator Medical Council of India (MCI) with a new and transparent body, the National Medical Commission (NMC). The note was moved this Wednesday after a Group of Ministers (GoM) headed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley approved the draft Bill enabling forward movement in the area of medical education reform which began last year with the introduction of National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for undergraduate and postgraduate admissions. The National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill, 2017, sent for inter-ministerial consultations now, seeks to subsume the MCI in the commission which will have four autonomous boards tasked with conducting undergraduate and postgraduate education, assessing and rating medical institutions, registering practitioners and enforcing medical ethics. A revolutionary aspect of this Bill is an exit examination which all MBBS graduates will have to clear to get practicing licences. Called the National Licentiate Examination, it will be compulsory for medical graduates to clear for the purpose of grant of licence to practice and enrolment in Medical Register(s). The idea is to test the quality of the medical graduate. This exam will also be used as NEET for postgraduate admissions, once the law takes force. As of today, CBSE conducts NEET UG and NEET PG for the purpose of medical admissions. The new Bill contains an important diversion (from the original draft a NITI Aayog expert panel prepared earlier this year) the GoM is learnt to have allowed in respect of the manner of selection of NMC members. The original NMC Bill which a NITI Aayog committee headed by its vice-chairman Arvind Panagariya drafted, argued against elections to pick members of the commission. This argument was in sync with the 92nd report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health, which, while recommending the scrapping of MCI, castigated the MCI for electing its members. The committee said: “MCI system where the regulated elect the regulators is flawed.” The new NMC Bill cleared by the GoM is learnt to have proposed an increase in the strength of commission members from 19 (originally suggested by NITI Aayog) to 29. The new Bill then says nine of the 29 NMC members can come through an election and the rest will be selected. This change, sources said, followed overwhelming opinion in favour of some elected component in the NMC. The Bill seeks to replace the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956, after the parliamentary committee on health concluded that the MCI had become a corrupt body and had failed to fulfil its mandate. It was originally drafted by a committee set up by PM Narendra Modi and comprising PK Mishra, Additional Principal Secretary to the PM; Amitabh Kant, NITI Aayog CEO; and BP Sharma, then Health Secretary. The PM had referred the Bill to a GoM for broader consultations in one of the Cabinet meetings earlier this year.  Exit exam for MBBS grads to get license The National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill, 2017, provides for an exit exam which MBBS graduates will have to clear to get practicing licences Once the law takes force, this exam will also be used as NEET for postgraduate admissions. CBSE currently conducts NEET UG and NEET PG GoM allows elected component in NMC. Nine of the 29 proposed members will be elected, while the rest will be selected ————————————————– Expert Opinion India need more than 5 Lakh doctors, So medical profession will always be the most prestigious and rare profession. That is one of the reason of regular increase in number of candidates appearing for NEET (National Entrance and Eligibility test) for MBBS/BDS. If everyone is at the same level after completing medical education (in India or Abroad) it will be a revolutionary step for entire medical industry as students will move abroad for MBBS. If everyone need to appear for screening test/licensing exam, if cost of medical education in India is more than 40/50/60 lakh, chances of getting admission is also below 5% to 7% (Due to huge number of students and less number of seats), Why one should wait or drop for a year in India. wise students and parents will opt for MBBS Abroad as it is cheaper and getting admission in much easy in comparison to MBBS in India. Related Links MBBS in Bangladesh (5 Year’s Course, Weather, Syllabus, Culture, Language and Clinical Facilities are same as India, Quality of Education and Best MCI Passing Ratio makes it first choice of eligible students), Awareness about MBBS in Bangladesh is less as quota for foreign students was less in earlier, which is now increased, so chances of getting admission in Bangladesh has also increased. MBBS in China (5 Year’s Course, Best infrastructure, government universities, quality education at low cost makes it popular choice), more than 15000 students are already studying in China MBBS in Other Countries (Know about Russia, Ukraine, Philippines, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Mauritius, South & Central America and other countries)

Nearly 4000 medical students left in lurch as 32 private colleges fail MCI test

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These are among 34 colleges approved by a Supreme Court-appointed oversight committee in May 2016, but debarred by the country’s medical education regulator for failing to meet required standards. Nearly 4,000 medical students in 32 new private colleges might find their institutes disqualified as these have failed to pass standard checks. These are among 34 colleges approved by a Supreme Court-appointed oversight committee in May 2016, but debarred by the country’s medical education regulator for failing to meet required standards. Second Chance A government source said the health ministry was examining the latest MCI report and has heard the heads of institutions that have failed the inspection. It may ask for another inspection for colleges having minor deficiencies. The ministry will send its remarks soon to the top court-appointed committee. The committee, headed by retired judge RM Lodha, had overruled the Medical Council of India’s (MCI) decision with the condition that if these colleges fail another inspection, they cannot admit students for two years. Subsequently these colleges admitted their first batch — 3,957 students — last summer. These students had cleared the national eligibility cum entrance test (NEET). Rules stipulate that these students — studying for their bachelors of medicine (MBBS) — should be shifted to other medical colleges if their institutes get disqualified. But experts feel such an effort will be challenging. “You can’t stretch facilities to accommodate so many students in other approved colleges. This will hamper studies of the students,” said KK Aggarwal, national president of the Indian Medical Association. “If the oversight committee accepts the MCI report, it will have to address the concerns of students admitted to these colleges.” The MCI and the oversight committee didn’t respond to requests for comments. Trouble began for the students after the MCI conducted another round of inspection in those 34 colleges in November and December. Only two colleges — Maheshwara Medical College in Andhra Pradesh’s Chitkul, and Amaltas Institute of Medical Sciences at Dewas in Madhya Pradesh — met the regulator’s benchmark. In most of the institutes, the MCI found shortage of faculty and resident doctors, locked intensive care units (ICU) and emergency wards, and vacant general wards. Some of the colleges forged documents to show adequate faculty or lined up fake patients for MCI inspectors. A Hindustan Times investigation had found similar shortfalls. Empty ICUs, no faculty, locked operation theatres, and under-construction departments and buildings awaiting students in many of the institutes approved by the oversight committee. Meanwhile, Sudhir Giri, chairman of Venkateswara University that has failed to meet the MCI standard, said: “The MCI is biased and adamant on barring us for vested reasons.” Source: Hindustan Times, Jan 31, 2017

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