The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has demanded a total abandonment of the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill as it believes that the proposed bill will create problems to all aspects of modern medicine practice. The association has criticized each and every chapter of the proposed Bill and has suggested amendment of Indian Medical Council (IMC) Act, 1956.

The association is of view that the IMC Act 1956 should be suitably amended to retain and strengthen its self regulatory role, by minimising interference from the government and other lobbies.

The draft NMC Bill 2016, Sec 16 has proposed to bring the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to under-graduate medical education under the purview of NMC and Sec 17 has proposed to bring a National Licentiate Examination for the professionals graduating from the medical institutions under the purview of NMC.

The Sec 22 (4) empowers Post Graduate Medical Education Board (PGMEB) under NMC to determine and prescribe the minimum requirements and standards for conduct of all post graduate and super specialty courses and their examinations in medical institutions and sec 42(3) proposes the merger of the National Board of Examinations (NBE) with the PGMEB and allows the PGMEB to add into its fold the courses conducted and qualifications awarded by NBE.

These provisions would mean that 2-3 individuals, as NMC chairman or board presidents, will control all the admissions to medical graduate courses, and also exit examinations at the end of graduation, that would also be the entrance test for PG courses, and also PG courses and their examinations thereafter. And two of these board presidents need not be medical professionals at all, explained IMA.

The National Licentiate Examination is unnecessary and must be abandoned. Entrance examinations for admissions to post graduate and MCh/DM courses must also be conducted in the same manner, as for NEET. The NMC Bill 2016 must be totally abandoned as no corrections can be made to the totally flawed bill, said IMA.