Gujarat: Medicos to protest against proposed NMC Bill tomorrow

Medical students in Gujarat will hold protests in parts of the state tomorrow against the provision of the proposed National Medical Commission Bill, which requires a medical graduate to clear an exam to qualify as a practising doctor.
Yogendra Modi, president of Gujarat chapter of Indian Medical Association, today told reporters that over 15,000 students across 15 colleges in the state will protest against the proposed National Exit Exam (NEXT).
Protest marches and sit-in agitations will be held outside the 15 college campuses between 10 am and 1 pm, he said.
Students will also form a human chain and submit a memorandum to the collector of their respective districts to press for their demand to roll back the proposal, he added.

"The proposed exam will put additional burden on the students, who already have to qualify for the course through various competitive examinations and who put in five and half years to obtain MBBS degree," Modi said.
"We do not see any justification behind the proposed exam. Students, who complete their MBBS course go through clinical internship, which provides them with hands-on experience to qualify as practising doctors," he said.

The proposed bill, finalised by NITI Aayog, requires a medical graduate to pass the NEXT to register themselves with medical council and qualify as practising doctor.
Modi said the proposed Bill favours those students, who obtain MBBS degrees from foreign countries like Philippines, Russia and China as they do no require to take the NEXT.

He said the IMA is also against the provision in the Bill that enables an ayurveda and homoeopathy practitioner to register as allopathic doctor after obtaining certificate through a six-month bridge course.
"We opposed the bill by holding protests across the country on November 16. The Centre had promised to look into our demands but nothing happened, which is why we have decided to hold another round of protest," he said.
The Bill seeks to replace the Medical Council of India with National Medical Commission with the aim to improve regulation of medical education in the country.