Hyderabad: The Indian Medical Council Amendment Bill, the National Medical Commission and the Consumer Protection Bill have not been tabled in the Rajya Sabha leading to its “natural death”, according to the Indian Medical Association.
These three Bills were passed in the Lok Sabha but have not been tabled in the Rajya Sabha. With the current Parliament session coming to an end, these Bills have become defunct. National vice-president of the Indian Medical Association Dr Narsinga Reddy explained, “Bills passed in the Lok Sabha have to be approved in the Rajya Sabha within six months. With the government term ending the Bills also lapse as they cannot be brought in again.”
The IMA doctors had taken a firm stand and told vice-president M. Venkaiah Naidu that if the Bill was passed they would go on a mass strike and there would be a complete shutdown of medical services.
A senior IMA member said, “We had to protect our profession as the Bills were being introduced only to benefit private medical colleges and not the general public. They were only meant to increase the number of medical colleges but not allow for improving the standard of medical education which is the need of the hour. By producing sub-standard doctors, the government would risk the lives of the people.”
According to the doctors, these Bills are now defunct and have no value.
But there is a proposal put up by the Board of Governors of the Medical Council of India for consideration of the health ministry on reducing the number of seats to operate medical colleges. Dr Reddy said, “An ordinance can be brought by the government but that will be with a lot of scrutiny and only existing colleges can take the benefit. It will not allow for new colleges to be set up.”
Dr Sanjiv Singh Yadav, a member of IMA said, “We have done away with exit exams for doctors as it would have burdened the students no end. Health is a state subject and the NMC Bill would have taken that important aspect away. The Bill has now died a natural death. If there are any changes to be proposed in the Medical Council of India the next government has to come up with a new Bill.”
