The Rajya Sabha on Thursday took up the National Medical Commission Bill which is facing stiff protest from the medical fraternity, as it witnessed a brief adjournment in between over Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan or his deputy not being present in the Upper House.
Shortly after the House reconvened after lunch for continuing discussion on the Bill that seeks to replace the Medical Council of India (MCI) with a new body, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh raised an objection to the Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan not being present in the House.
Some other members from Congress, CPI and DMK were also on their feet to protest against the absence of the Union Minister as well as the MoS in the Department of Health and Family Welfare.
Ashwini Kumar Choubey is the Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare.
Deputy Chairman Harivansh said the minister has been informed and is coming to the House.
With members unrelenting, Union Minister Thaawarchand Gehlot said the minister will be in the House and in the meantime he was taking notes of the points raised by members,
He said the ministers have a collective responsibility.
However, with protests seeking the presence of minister continuing, Deputy Chairman Harivansh adjourned the House for 10 minutes.
In the meantime, both Harsh Vardhan and Choubey came to the House before the proceedings resumed.
The bill has already been passed by the Lok Sabha.
Among other things, it has a provision for setting uniform national standards in medical education by proposing the final year MBBS exam be treated as an entrance test for PG and a screening test for students who graduate in medicine from foreign countries.
AIADMK's Vijila Sathyananth said the medical entrance examination was a burning issue in her state Tamil Nadu.
"Our children are forced to attempt the exam in the CBSE syllabus. Bring a common syllabus for whole India and then have a common entrance examination. So, we completely oppose, we reject the already institutionalised National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) in our country," she said.
Sathyananth said NEET and NEXT (National Exit Test) should not be enforced in the country.
Sasmit Patra of the BJD proposed setting up of a National Medical Education Scholarship Fund to be operated by the Centre and states in conjunction to ensure that meritorious students are not deprived of their rightful share of attaining medical education.
In his maiden speech in the Rajya Sabha, Santanu Sen from All India Trinamool Congress said the entire medical fraternity was on roads since last two weeks to oppose the "draconian" Bill.
He said the provisions of the Bill are such that it will lead to complete corporatisation of the medical education in the country.
Sen said the Bill completely outrages federalism and snatches the autonomy of the state medical councils as they will remain bound to follow the decisions of the National Medical Council.
He said the Bill will indirectly lead to mushrooming of private medical colleges across the country, besides opening the floodgates of corruption. He demanded that the Bill be sent to a Select Committee.
Ram Nath Thakur of the JDU supported the Bill and said the number of medical colleges in the country should be increased so that more doctors can be produced.
Manoj Kumar Jha of the JDU said lakhs of doctors are on strike against the Bill and their concerns should be looked into. He said the Bill will lead to brazen privatisation of medical education in the country.
Tiruchi Siva of the DMK claimed that the government initially attempted to encroach upon the powers of the states, and now it was taking away the powers of the states. He demanded that every state have a representation in the Commission.
He stated that after introduction of NEET, students belonging to backward communities were not able to get admission in medical colleges, saying they cannot afford to pay the high fee charged for enrolment in coaching centres.
Nominated member Narendra Jadhav supported the Bill.
Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad also strongly opposed the provision in the bill that aims to provide license to 3.5 lakh unqualified non-medical persons to practise modern medicine.
He said,"I strongly opposed this clause. You are replacing the earlier Cabinet decision of a three and a half year science course (for medical practitioners) by a mid level health professionals (like nurse, blood sample collector, compounder."
Criticising the government,he said: "Are we making 70 per cent of population Guinea pigs."
Earlier the Congress as well as Samajwadi Party on urged the government to withdraw a provision in the Bill which aims to provide license to 3.5 lakh unqualified non-medical persons to practise modern medicine, saying it will "institutionalise quackery."
On the exit test, Azad asked,"If a students qualifies the EXIT test but does not come on merit for post graduation course then what would he do? Whether he would again appear for the test to qualify the entrance for PG course."
He also expressed concerned over lower than expected rise in medical seats in the country despite some administrative decision taken by erstwhile UPA government.
K K Ragesh CPI (M) said education is in the concurrent list and this bill will take away the right of states for fixing fee and registration of medical colleges.
He said,"You are making the body as central government department...send it to select committee."
S K Gupta of AAP described it as undemocratic bill.
A Navaneethakrshnan (AIADMK) also strongly opposed the bill.
Sanjay Raut (SS), Ashok Siddharth (BSP), Gopal Narayan Singh (BJP) and K Keshava Rao (TRS) alsdo participated in the discussion on the bill.
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