Draft National Medical Commission Bill, 2016

• The NITI Ayog has introduced the National Medical Commission Bill, 2016
  which would be extending to the whole country recently in order to create
  world-class educational system.
• The bill seeks to repeal Indian Medical Council Act 1956 and be replaced by a
  the body called National Medical Commission.

Objectives

• The bill seeks to ensure an adequate supply of high-quality medical professionals
  at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
• Encourage medical professionals to incorporate the latest medical research in
  their work and to contribute to such research.
• Provide for objective periodic assessments of medical institutions.
• Facilitate the maintenance of a medical register for India and enforce high
  ethical standards in all aspects of medical services.
• Ensure that the medical institutes are flexible enough to adapt to the changing
  needs of a transforming nation.

Highlights

• It has suggested a uniform National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for
  admissions to under-graduate medical colleges.
• It provides for the establishment of the National Medical Commission (NMC),
  which will serve as the policy-making body for medical education.
• It also provides for four autonomous boards for Under Graduate Medical
  Education, Post Graduate Medical Education, Medical Assessment and Rating, and Registration and Ethics.
• The bill provides for a new Institutional Architecture for Regulation with a
  Medical Advisory Council (MAC) which will have representations from the
  States and Union Territories (UTs) for articulating the national agenda for
  medical education. The Council shall serve as the primary platform through which the states would put forward their views and concerns before the National Medical Commission (NMC) and shall help shape the overall agenda in the field of medical education & training.
• The Council shall advise the National Medical Commission (NMC) on the measures to determine, maintain and coordinate the minimum standards in the discipline of medical education, training, and research.
• The Council shall advise the National Medical Commission (NMC) on measures to enhance equitable access to medical education.