National Medical Commission to be set up in February

The Medical Commission would be replacing the Medical Council of India and would be responsible for developing and regulating all aspects of medical education, profession and institutions.

The setting up of National Medical Commission (NMC) is likely to be over by February, according to the Health Ministry sources. The Commission would replace the Medical Council of India (MCI) and would be responsible for the development and regulation of all the aspects of medical education, profession and institutions. The Commission would also regulate the fees and all other charges for 50% seats in private medical colleges and deemed universities.

President Ram Nath Kovind on August 8, 2019, had given his assent to the NMC Act.

In 2017, the government had superseded the MCI and appointed a Board of Governors (BoG) to perform its function. Once the NMC is operational, the Board will also get dissolved.
The Health Ministry had finalized the names of 25 members of the NMC through a draw of lots from the nominations sent by the state governments, union territories and state medical councils. The chairperson’s appointment along with the members of each of the four boards will be set up under the NMC Act. The four boards to be set up are the Under Graduate Medical Education Board (UGMEB), Post-Graduate Medical Education Board (PGMEB), Medical Assessment and Rating Board and the Ethics and Medical Registration Board.

The NMC has also proposed a common final year MBBS programme which will be known as National Exit Test (NEXT). The admission test will be for students aiming for postgraduate medical courses and obtaining a license to practice. The exam would also serve as a screening test for foreign medical graduates.

The Medical Assessment and Rating Board will also assess the medical colleges and develop a ranking system for them, enabling the students to choose their institutes in a much more informed manner. The measures will ensure a transparent admission process, bringing down the admission fee, said an official.

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