Chennai: Government doctors in the state announced a strike in outpatient services for an hour on Tuesday in order to protest against Centre’s National Medical Commission Bill. Sources said that the outpatient services will be suspended in all the government hospitals across Tamil Nadu from 9.30 am to 10.30 am.
The National Medical Commission Bill introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 29 is to replace the Medical Council of India (MCI) with a new body to ensure transparency. According to the Bill, the commission will have a panel of five elected and 12 ex-officio consisting of government-nominated chairman and members, while the board members will be selected by a search committee under the Cabinet Secretary. However, medicos are demanding the formation of panel as under the existing Medical Council of India that has only medical doctors as council members.
Sources from Tamil Nadu Government Doctors Association (TNGDA) said that the government-nominated office-bearers form the bulk in the governance set-up as per the new bill. However, they should be elected as in the existing model of MCI.” Other provision that allows medical practitioners of Indian medicine to practise allopathic medicine following a bridge course should be dropped from the Bill”, said TNGDA state headquarters secretary Dr P Balakrishnan.
Introducing the Bill in Lok Sabha, Health Minister J P Nadda had said that the new bill incorporates suggestions made by a standing committee and provides for constitution of four autonomous boards for undergraduate and post-graduate education, assessment and accreditation of medical institutions and registration of practitioners under the National Medical Commission.
The bill proposes a common entrance exam and licentiate exams to be taken by all medical graduates to get practicing licences. But the doctors are agitated at the proposal saying that this will dilute the medical education standards rather than strengthening it. However, government sources said that the bill will help to stop the corruption and unethical practices in the medical education.
