Bridge course off, exit test stays in NMC bill

NEW DELHI: The Union cabinet dropped a controversial clause but retained another from the national medical commission bill, which was sent back to the government after protests across the country earlier this year. The provision that was deleted related to a bridge course that would have allowed practitioners of alternative medicine to pursue basic allopath.

NEW DELHI: The Union cabinet dropped a controversial clause but retained another from the national medical commission bill, which was sent back to the government after protests across the country earlier this year.

The provision that was deleted related to a bridge course that would have allowed practitioners of alternative medicine to pursue basic allopath. What has been retained is the plan for a new exit test — the National Licentiate Exam (NLE) — that will be mandatory for graduate students before they are qualified to see patients.

“We have kept it the way students wanted; there was no problem with the exit exam only that students wanted it t be clubbed with the final MBBS exam. Since people had a problem with the bridge course, it has been removed,” said Preeti Sudan, heath secretary.

Among other things, the Cabinet also approved fee regulation for 50% seats in private medical colleges and deemed universities. The number of nominees from states and UTs in the National Medical Commission has also increased from three to six.

The Bill will now be tabled in Parliament.

The NMC Bill had been referred to the parliamentary standing committee on health by Union health minister JP Nadda on January 2 after certain clauses triggered anger. The committee submitted its report in Parliament on March 20.