The Centre amendments to the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill, which will now be tabled in Parliament .

• Final MBBS examination to be held as a common exam across the country and would serve as an exit test. It would also serve as the screening test for doctors with foreign medical qualifications in order to practise in India.
• The provision dealing with “bridge course” for AYUSH practitioners to practise modern medicine has been removed.
• The maximum limit of 40% seats — for which fee would be regulated in private medical institutions and deemed universities — has been increased to 50%.
• Number of nominees from states and UTs in the NMC has been increased from 3 to 6. The NMC will comprise 25 members of which at least 21 will be doctors.
• Monetary penalty on a medical college non-compliant has been replaced with provision that provides other penalty options.
• Stringent punishment for unqualified medical practitioners or quacks could be as severe as imprisonment of up to one year along with a fine up to Rs.5 lakh.
• Observing the need to act strictly against unqualified practitioners, the government approved an amendment to make the punishment for any unauthorised practice of medicine “severe” by including a provision for imprisonment of up to one year along with a fine extending to up to Rs five lakh.
• The final MBBS examination would be held as a common exam throughout the country and would serve as an exit test to be called the National Exit Test (NEXT).
• Thus, students would not have to appear in a separate exam after MBBS to get licence to practice and ‘NEXT’ would serve as the screening test for doctors with foreign medical qualifications in order to practice in India.
• The provision dealing with “bridge course” for AYUSH practitioners to practice modern medicine has been removed.
• It also said that the maximum limit of 40 percent seats – for which fee would be regulated in private medical institutions and deemed universities- has been increased to 50 percent.
• Number of nominees from States and UTs in NMC increased from 3 to 6.

Source: Indian Express