GS 2- GOVERNANCE Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health
Introduction
National Medical Commission (NMC) is an Indian regulatory body of 33 members which regulates medical education and medical professionals.
Contemporary News:
- National Medical Commission (NMC) has come into being from 25 September.
- The six-decade-old Indian Medical Council Act 1956 has been repealed.
- Four autonomous boards under the NMC Act—
- The Under-Graduate Medical Education Board (UGMEB)
- The Post-Graduate Medical Education Board (PGMEB)
- The Medical Assessment and Rating Board
- The Ethics and Medical Registration Board.
- Each board will consist of a President and four members.
- of which two members will be part-time.
- appointed by the central government.
- on the recommendation of a search committee.
Reason:
- Medical Council of India has repeatedly been found short of fulfilling its mandated responsibilities.
- Quality of medical education is at its lowest ebb
- current model of medical education is not producing the right type of health professionals.
- because medical education and curricula are not integrated with the needs of our health system.
- Instances of unethical practice continue to grow due to which respect for the profession has dwindled.
- Lack competence in performing basic health care tasks like conducting normal deliveries.
Ministry is not empowered to remove or sanction a Member of the Council even if he has been proved corrupt.
Comparison:
Medical Education:
- Equity in accessing medical education is of vital importance.
- While public institutions substantially subsidise medical education.
- the NMC will determine fees for a percentage of the seats in private medical colleges and deemed universities.
- move will broaden the opportunity for students from all sections of the society to undertake medical education.
- is important since it is growing more expensive with every passing year.
- rising fees, expensive books and equipment become a barrier for several deserving students.
- Social responsibility and empathy for fellow humans
- are vital traits for any doctor.
- presence/absence of a paying capacity should not be a determinant for enrolling in an educational programme.
- open doors for those who want to pursue a career in medicine.
Guidelines for doctors to practice medicine:
- There will be a uniform National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test.
- for admission to under-graduate,post-graduate and super-speciality medical education.
- Introduces a common final year undergraduate examination called the National Exit Test.
- to obtain the license for practice.
- also serve as the basis for admission into post-graduate courses.
- Foreign medical practitioners may be permitted temporary registration to practice in India.
Bill regulations:
- January 2018, the doctor to population ratio in India was 1:1655.
- compared to the World Health Organisation standard of 1:1000.
- To fill in the gaps of availability of medical professionals, it provides for the NMC.
- To grant limited license to certain mid-level practitioners called community health providers.
- Mid-level medical practitioners may prescribe specified medicines in primary and preventive healthcare.
- in other cases, may only prescribe medicine under the supervision of a registered medical practitioner.
- is similar to other countries where medical professionals other than doctors are allowed to prescribe allopathic medicine.Eg:-
- Nurse Practitioners in the USA provide a full range of primary,acute, and specialty health care services
- including ordering and performing diagnostic tests and prescribing medications.
- (Nurse Practitioners must complete a master’s or doctoral degree program-advanced clinical training, and obtain a national certification.)
Significance:
- Seeks to regulate medical education and practice in India.
- composition
- allegations of corruption
- lack of accountability.
- Attempts to tackle two main things on quality and quantity.
- to tackle Corruption in medical education and shortage of medical professionals.
- In 2009, the Yashpal Committee and the National Knowledge Commission recommended separating the regulation of medical education and medical practice.
- The Mudliar Committee Report (1959) pointed out that doctors had neither the skills nor the knowledge to handle primary care and infectious diseases that were a high priority concern at the time.
- Medical education has to keep pace with these rapid developments.
Conclusion
The aspirations of an emergent India introduce an urgency to manage medical systems optimally. The NMC Act is not a matter of choice, but an imperative in the national interest.
